Culver City water consumers have lowered their water consumption but are still vying to reach the guidelines set by state officials as compared to the same time period of 2013.
According to Golden State, which supplies the majority of Culver City businesses and households with water, the city’s October water reduction was 16%. But the reduction barometer is set at 14%.
Culver City is currently in Stage One of the water supplier’s mandatory water conservation protocols, where customers may water outdoor landscapes up to three days per week.
Watering should occur before 8 am or after 7 pm, and should not exceed 10 minutes per station, according to Golden State’s website.
Across the state, urban Californians’ monthly water conservation increased slightly in October to 19.5 %, up from 18.3 % in September.
That figure was also below the 22.3% reduction in October 2015 when the state-mandated standards where in place, according the state Water Resources Control Board.
California is entering its sixth year of a historic drought, which has ravaged parts of northern and central California.
On May 9, Gov. Jerry Brown issued an executive order calling for new permanent water use efficiency targets for each urban water supplier that reflect California’s diverse climate, landscape, and demographic conditions.
“Californians’ continued commitment to conservation shows they don’t take water for granted anymore,” said state Water Board Chair Felicia Marcus. “With climate change playing an increasingly disruptive role, we need to save where we can, when we can. Coupled with recycling, stormwater recapture and other measures, it will extend our local water resilience.”
In November, Culver City voters passed Measure CW, a stormwater ballot measure that will impose parcel tax addition of $99 on Culver City homeowners but will generate $2 million for water quality improvement.
The measure passed with nearly 74% of the vote.
In October, the City Council instituted new drought- related conservation measures. They include during the winter season, which begins later this month, all watering within 48 hours of “measureable precipitation” is prohibited, watering of ornamental turf on public street medians by city employees will be banned and on authorized watering days, the interval for landscape watering is reduced from 15 to 10 minutes per zone.
Ornamental grasses are typically grown as decorative grass for gardens and in are sometimes used in landscape design.
