DWP: LA residents conserved 6 billion gallons of water this summer

Los Angeles residents saved 6 billion gallons of water from June to September compared to the same period last summer, the LA Department of Water and Power announced Monday.

The reduction follows new LA water restrictions that went into effect June 1. They include restricting outdoor watering to two days per week, down from three, with watering permitted at odd-numbered street addresses on Mondays and Fridays, and at even-numbered addresses on Thursdays and Sundays.

“At the beginning of the summer, we called on Angelenos to cut back on their water use, and today, we can recognize the past few months as one of the most historic stretches of conservation in L.A. history,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement.

Garcetti and other city officials held a news briefing at the Nature Gardens of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County on Monday morning to announce the water use reduction.

The rolling gallons per capita per day for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power dropped to 110 gallons as of September, down from 113 last year.

LA set three straight months of record-low water usage over the summer. After reducing water use by 9% in June and 11% in July compared to the same month in the previous year, August saw a 10% reduction compared to the previous two years.

As rain fell on Los Angels Monday and was expected to continue into Tuesday, Martin L. Adams, general manager and chief engineer of LADWP, urged residents to keep conserving water.

“While we are all grateful for the rain, remember that a few rainy days does not mean we are no longer in a drought,” Adams said. “Our water supply will continue to be challenged by climate change, and saving every drop all year-round matters.”

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