Sierra Madre Water Use Drops Following Conservation Ordinance Passage

In June and July, following the passage of a mandatory water ordinance, water use by Sierra Madre residents dropped significantly, according to a message sent out by the City of Sierra Madre.

According to the city's figures, water use dropped 8.38 percent in June compared to June of 2012.  The first nine days of July show a 17.5 percent drop compared to the first nine of July 2012.

The drop in June comes despite weather records suggesting June 2012 was actually the hotter month.  According to records on the AccuWeather.com website,  June 2013 had 6 days with high temperatures above 90 versus 11 days where the high temperature was below 80 degrees.

By comparison, the site says June 2012 had no days that reached above 90 while also having 11 days where the high was below 80.

The restrictions passed in May by the City Council mandated that residents make a 20 percent usage cut or face fines, a response to a dry winter that resulted in a reduction of local water sources that Sierra Madre relies on.

The Council then amended the ordinance earlier this month to alter the usage cuts to factor in a summer target and a winter target, recognizing that water usage tends to be much higher during the dry months.

The amended ordinance also removed a penalty provision that would have allowed the city to install a water flow restrictor on the home of any resident who had violated the ordinance more than twice.

Have you cut your water usage successfully?  Tell us in the comments.