ACWA Responds to Statewide Conservation Results


SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept. 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) Executive Director Dave Eggerton issued the following statement in response to statewide conservation results that were announced during today’s State Water Resources Control Board meeting. The conservation update was in response to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Executive Order that calls on Californians to voluntarily reduce their water use by 15 percent from their 2020 levels.

“ACWA member agencies take very seriously the challenges to water management posed by the drought. We continue working closely with Gov. Newsom’s Administration and remain deeply committed to making conservation and water efficiency a California way of life.

“We fully support the Governor’s July 8 call for Californians to voluntarily reduce their water use by 15 percent from what they used in 2020. This is in addition to the approximately 16 percent water savings that Californians have maintained since the start of the last drought in 2013. The numbers announced at the State Water Board meeting today, which reflect July water use, represent a promising start in reducing water use as water agencies and the state continue ramping up public information campaigns to build on that progress.

“Local water agencies are implementing comprehensive actions, including water conservation and local resiliency projects, to ensure water supply reliability and promote the efficient use of water. ACWA believes the best path forward in responding to the drought is through a continued partnership between local water suppliers and state and federal agencies that empowers and builds on local water management planning to inform decisions that are best for their communities to strengthen climate resilience.”

Media representatives looking for more information about local water agency efforts to create a more reliable and resilient water supply can find examples at www.acwa.com/drought. A summary of water agency drought responses, including voluntary and mandatory conservation orders and links to Water Shortage Contingency Plans, is available at www.acwa.com/drought-response.

ACWA is a statewide association of public agencies whose more than 460 members are responsible for about 90% of the water delivered in California. For more information, visit www.acwa.com

Contact: Heather Engel, Director of Communications | (916) 441-4545 | C (760) 217-0627