California

California Struggles to Conserve Water Amid Historic Drought

Several of the state's largest reservoirs are already at record lows

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A nearly empty section of Lake Oroville is seen from above in Oroville, California on September 5, 2021.

Californians failed to significantly cut back their water consumption in July, state officials announced Tuesday, foreshadowing some difficult decisions for Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration as a historic drought lingers into the fall.

Newsom had asked people in July to voluntarily cut back their water consumption by 15% to help address a severe drought that has left some of the state's reservoirs at dangerously low levels.

But in the three weeks after Newsom's announcement, residents reduced their water consumption just 1.8%, according to new data released Tuesday and reported by the Sacramento Bee.

"On conservation, we’re going to be needing to do more,” board chair Joaquin Esquivel said.

Still, Esquivel was hopeful the state's conservation numbers will improve. Newsom declared a drought emergency in the Russian River watershed along the state's north coast in April. Data from that region shows people reduced their water consumption by 17% compared in July compared to 2020.

"We see that it takes time for conservation to boot up,” Esquivel said, adding that the 17% figure “shows the responsiveness of communities” to appeals for conservation.

Dave Eggerton, executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies, said the numbers “represent a promising start in reducing water use,” saying water agencies are “ramping up public information campaigns to build on that progress.”

The numbers released Tuesday represent only about three weeks’ worth of data. And Californians are using about 15% less water per capita than they were in 2014.

But this drought has strained water resources like never before. Several of the state's largest reservoirs are already at record lows. The water level is so low in Lake Oroville that officials had to shutter a hydroelectric power plant for the first time ever.

Still, Newsom has declined to impose mandatory water restrictions. Newsom's predecessor, former Gov. Jerry Brown, imposed mandatory 25% water restrictions during the previous drought. The Newsom administration has signaled water restrictions could come if the drought persists.

Department of Water Resources Director Karla Nemeth said officials are planning for “a worst-case scenario in terms of water availability" for the state's three largest reservoirs.

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A section of a drought-stricken Shasta Lake sits mostly dry in Lakehead, California on July 2, 2021, as the Salt fire burns nearby.
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A tire usually used as a mooring sits on dry land along the lakebed of Shasta Lake in Lakehead, California on July 2, 2021, as the Salt fire burns nearby.
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A railroad bridge frames an old roadway and bridge, bottom, revealed by receding water levels on Lake Shasta as drought conditions persist on Wednesday, June 30, 2021 in Lake Shasta, CA.
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In an aerial view, the San Gabriel River and the exposed lakebed of the San Gabriel Reservoir are seen on June 29, 2021 in the San Gabriel Mountains near Azusa, California.
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A houseboat passes by water lines on the steep banks of Shasta Lake on July 02, 2021 in Redding, California.
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In an aerial view, houseboats sit anchored at the Bidwell Canyon Marina on Lake Oroville on June 01, 2021 in Oroville, California.
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A buoy sits on dry land near the Bidwell Canyon Marina at Lake Oroville on June 01, 2021 in Oroville, California.
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Low water levels are visible next to houseboats that sit anchored at the Bidwell Canyon Marina on Lake Oroville on June 01, 2021 in Oroville, California.
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In an aerial view, low water levels are visible at Lake Oroville on June 01, 2021 in Oroville, California.
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Empty boat slips sit on a dry lake bed at Folsom Lake Marina as the lake experiences lower water levels during the California drought emergency on May 27, 2021 in El Dorado Hills, California.
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Nicasio Reservoir during a drought in Nicasio, California, U.S., on Thursday, May 27, 2021.
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Dry cracked earth is visible as water levels are low at Nicasio Reservoir on May 28, 2021 in Nicasio, California.
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