A dry start to June
According to the latest report from the State Water Resources Control Board, residential water use in the Monterey Peninsula Cal-Am service area reached 55.8 gallons per person per day in April. This is up from 54.2 gallons per person per day in March, and 45 gallons per person per day in February.
The Monterey Peninsula was clearly not alone in using more water in April, as we actually managed to rank better statewide, improving from 44th place to 29th in the overall water conservation sweepstakes.
Yet, gradual increases as winter gives way to spring are not inevitable. Many of our neighbors, including Santa Cruz, King City, Soquel, and Salinas, managed to use LESS water per person per day in April than in March. Probably because residents in those places were seriously urged to conserve and the conservation message was not undercut by a bunch of backslapping lies about those cities being the leading water conservationists in the state.
On the bright side, we haven’t heard any public officials or members of the press make that oft-repeated claim during the past month. Instead, the message seems to have been softened to statements that we are “among” the state’s stingiest water users. It’s a step in the right direction, and maybe that, together with the unusually cold and wet May, will lead to some improvement when the May figures are released. Let’s hope so.
As things stand, the town of Arrowhead Lake led the state in April, using just 30.1 gallons per person per day, followed closely by Martinez, at 32.1 gallons, and East Palo Alto, at 32.9 gallons.
In the Monterey Bay Area, Santa Cruz did the best, at 39.8 gallons, a full 16 gallons per person per day better than the Monterey Peninsula.
King City was once again the Monterey County leader, using 49.1 gallons per person per day, and the Monterey Peninsula is now in danger of falling behind the City of Salinas, which used only .3 gallons per person per day more in April.
The May report should be released during the first week of July. Stay tuned.
See previous posts on this subject from:
Xasáuan Today 