San Diego County residents used 4 percent less water last month, compared with September 2013, the County Water Authority announced Thursday.
Officials said the reduction was a step in the right direction, in light of warmer-than-normal temperatures, but more conservation was needed.
The water authority based its consumption estimate on figures supplied by its 24 member agencies that deliver water to homes and businesses.
“Our collective efforts are making a difference,” said Mark Weston, chairman of the water authority’s board. “We need to build on that success by reducing outdoor water use during the fall and winter in case drought conditions persist. Every drop we save today is a drop we have in reserves if our imported water supplies are reduced in 2015.”
Local water agencies, including the city of San Diego, have been putting mandatory conservation measures into effect recently.
The U.S. Climate Prediction Center on Thursday projected a 33 percent chance of above-average rainfall in Southern California, but the outlook is mixed for the rest of the state.
— City News Service
