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Californians are using more water this year despite calls from Governor Newsom to use less water..
Last summer, Governor Newsom made public addresses asking residents to voluntarily cut water use by 15% compared to previous years. He encouraged people to make small cutbacks on everyday water use like watering yards less often, running dishwashers less and installing more conservation efficient appliances. The state's conservation rate did see improvement, thanks to late year fall and winter weather that helped bring some precipitation to California. But the first three months of 2022 have been some of the driest ever recorded, while water use in California jumped to nearly 19% in March compared to 2020, according to state officials.
Governor Newsom responded to the news by pledging to spend an extra on conservation programs, reportedly at $26 million, in addition to the $190 million he proposed in January. According to the latest numbers, the water usage in March was the most water Californians have used since the middle of the previous drought in 2015. Since July of last year, the state has cut its overall water use by just 3.7% according to state officials.