California backslides on water conservation amid drought

By ADAM BEAM
Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A severe drought prompted California Gov. Gavin Newsom to ask people to voluntarily cut water use by 15%. Data released Tuesday shows most aren’t doing that. Californians reduced their water by 3.9% in September. That’s down from 5.1% in August. Overall, California has reduced its water consumption by just 3.6% since July, when Newsom made the request. Water agencies say many people permanently reduced their water use during the last drought. They say further savings will take more time and money to achieve. The year ending in September was the second-driest in California’s recorded history.