Local Water Use Down 37 Percent Since 2020; Enforcement Continues

AGOURA HILLS, CA — Agoura Hills and Calabasas residents reduced their water use by at least 37 percent in June, the first sign that intense water restrictions are working.

The Las Virgenes Municipal Water District enforced one-day-per-week outdoor watering restrictions in June after a gradually adding similar restrictions. On May 1, residents saw a 50 percent reduction in their outdoor watering budgets. This meant residents' unique allocation of water was cut in half.

The district saw a 37 percent reduction in potable water use in June 2022 compared to June 2020, according to a staff report created for the district's July 19 board meeting. This was preceded by a 20 percent reduction in May.

Before the restrictions were enforced, the district saw increasing water use, according to the staff report.

Residents additionally reduced their use of recycled water by 2 percent in May and 5 percent in June, according to Ursula Bossom, Customer Service Manager for the district.

When compared to the states previously drought baseline year 2013, the district saw a 54 percent reduction in water use in June 2022, according to Joe McDermott, Director of Engineering and External Affairs.

The district put 10 flow restriction devices on houses that had surpassed their allocated water budget and issued 52 first violation warnings and two second violation fines, Bossom said at the July 19 meeting.

The water district in November, 2021 declared a local drought emergency following Gov Gavin Newsom's statewide declaration, and drought conditions have only continued to worsen. The state's two largest reservoirs, Lake Oroville and Shasta Lake, were at critically low levels in late June, The Guardian reported.