Sonoma County residents cut water use by 30 percent or more in May

Residents of Sonoma County’s six largest cities posted water conservation rates of more than 30 percent in May, beating the average for both the state and North Coast region, according to the latest report from state water regulators.

Petaluma residents led the pack, using 37 percent less water in May compared with the same month of 2013, the year that serves as a baseline for determining water savings since emergency water conservation regulations were established last year.

Cooler weather probably contributed to the robust water savings by reducing landscape irrigation, which the State Water Resources Control Board says accounts for an average of half and as much as 80 percent of urban water use and is a prime conservation target.

Rohnert Park was close behind with a 35 percent conservation rate, paired with the county’s lowest average personal water use rate of 52.4 gallons per day - just under the 55-gallon mark, considered the “performance standard” for indoor-only residential water use.

Sonoma residents also used 35 percent less water in May, compared with a year ago, but had the county’s highest rate of personal use at 108.9 gallons per day. Sonoma has a warmer inland climate and more large residential lots than most areas, two factors that increase residential water consumption.

May had only one day over 80 degrees and an average high temperature of 72 degrees in Santa Rosa, according to Press Democrat records. In May 2013, the baseline year, there were five days at 90 degrees or more and nine days over 80 degrees, with an average high of 79 degrees.

“The weather definitely can play a factor,” said Jennifer Burke, Santa Rosa’s deputy director of water and engineering services, by creating a real or perceived need to boost landscape watering.

Santa Rosans used 33 percent less water in May, nearly as good as the city’s 32 percent conservation rate in April, Burke noted.

“People are responding,” she said. “They are keeping up their conservation habits.”

Santa Rosa is sponsoring another “Laundry to Landscape” workshop on July 18 aimed at teaching residents how to install a graywater system diverting water from clothes washing machines to the landscape. “Graywater is a great thing to consider,” Burke said.

The workshop is free and residents may be eligible for a $75 rebate. For information or registration, call 543-3985.

Another “Drought Drive-Up” will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday at Friedman’s Home Improvement on Santa Rose Avenue, where residents may pick out their own drought toolkit, including faucet aerators, shower buckets, water-efficient showerheads and dye tab kits to check for toilet leaks.

Statewide residential water use was down 28.9 percent in May, the steepest monthly drop since Gov. Jerry Brown called on Californians to conserve, the water board said. In April, statewide conservation was just 13.6 percent.

An immense gulf remains between the state’s biggest water savers and its biggest users, with customers of the Westborough Water District in South San Francisco using 38.6 gallons per day in May while those served by the Myoma Dunes Mutual Water Company in Riverside County east of Palm Springs used 347.7 gallons a day. In the nearby, much larger Coachella Valley Water District, serving 318,217 customers, daily use was 215.1 gallons.

Sebastopol, Cotati and Cloverdale are not included in the water board’s reports on residential water use.

You can reach Staff Writer Guy Kovner at 521-5457 or guy.kovner@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @guykovner.