California Regions Set New Conservation Records in Responding to the Drought

More good news concerning CA's response to Year 3 of the drought. First up, the AP is reporting that Los Angeles has reduced its water use by record amounts this year:

The nation's second-largest city cut water use by an overall 17 percent in July compared to a year earlier, officials said Wednesday.
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The Department of Water and Power, which has 680,000 water customers and 1.4 million electric customers, said single-family homes cut water use nearly 21 percent, multifamily properties cut use more than 8 percent, businesses cut usage nearly 22 percent and government properties reduced usage more than 34 percent.

The story goes on to talk about another, mostly hidden, advantage of cutting water use:

Huge reductions in electricity usage were also reported.

The DWP saved a record 318 gigawatt-hours for the fiscal year ending June 30, an amount that equals removal of 53,000 households from the grid and avoids 178,700 metric tons of greenhouses gases.

LA isn't alone in its success, as San Diego is seeing similar decreases in water use:

In June and July, water consumption countywide plunged 21 percent and 16 percent, respectively, compared with the same months last year.
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Of the 24 water agencies in the region, 19 recorded savings of 10 percent or more in the past four months, compared with the same period in 2008. The top five performers were Camp Pendleton, Poway, Lakeside, Vallecitos and Ramona.

So, while the water crisis continues to grow, some areas are taking it in stride and really making a difference. Hopefully they will provide an example for other cities and regions to follow.

I wonder if anyone in Sacramento is paying attention...