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LADWP Applauds its Customers February Marks Lowest Recorded Water Use in 32 Years

LADWP Applauds its Customers
February Marks Lowest Recorded Water Use in 32 Years

February 2010 Marks 31 Consecutive Months of Reduced Water Use and Hit
a Water Conservation Milestone for the City of Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES — In the ninth month of mandatory water conservation in the City of Los Angeles, customers from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) reached 1979 water use levels, making February 2010 the lowest recorded February water use in 32 years. This 2010 first quarter low was accomplished by the extraordinary conservation efforts of our customers, who collectively cut their use by more than 20% when compared to the same period in 2007. February 2010 also marks the 31st consecutive month of reduced water use by single-family residential customers, who have successfully reduced water use by nearly 30% in that same period.

Results for all customer classes are as follows:

Customer Sector 

Water Savings vs. Base Year 

Single-Family Residential

-29.2%

Multi-Family Residential

-11.9%

Commercial

-16.7%

Industrial

-14.8%

Governmental

-19.1%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In all, Angelenos cut their water use by nearly 30 billion gallons over the past nine months – enough to serve 231,000 households for a year – and have saved nearly 50 billion gallons of water since July 2007, enough to serve an additional 150,000 households for a year.

“Our customers’ ability to reach 1970s water use levels at a time when our City’s population has grown by more than a million people is truly remarkable,” said Lee Kanon Alpert, President of the Los Angeles Board of Water and Power Commissioners. “Angelenos understand the urgency for water conservation, their actions show it, and we thank them for understanding the severity of the ongoing water crisis in our state.”

The reduced water consumption in recent months has resulted in another significant accomplishment for the City of Los Angeles:  as of March 1, LADWP’s water purchases from the Metropolitan Water District are 16% below the projected baseline allocation for the 2009-10 fiscal year.

“In a time when water resources are scarce throughout the state, Los Angeles is taking the lead and setting an example on how to conserve water and maintain a sustainable water supply,” said James McDaniel, LADWP Senior Assistant General Manager – Water System. “The more we can rely on our City’s available water resources, the better prepared we are to get through this water crisis as a state.”

On June 1, 2009, the City of Los Angeles instituted the mandatory water conservation program in response to three consecutive years of statewide drought. The program restricts sprinkler watering to Mondays and Thursdays only and includes other provisions to save water such as prohibiting watering between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily, prohibiting hosing down driveways and sidewalks and water runoff, requiring all leaks be fixed and only using hoses fitted with shut-off nozzles, among other measures. Under mandatory water conservation, shortage year water rates were also instituted. Shortage year rates are a modified pricing schedule that reduces the amount of water customers can use at the lowest price. Customers who use more water than they are allotted at the lowest price pay a higher rate for each additional billing unit used (a billing unit is 748 gallons).

For tips on ways to conserve water, and to get information on LADWP’s numerous rebate programs, customers should visit www.ladwp.com or call 1-800-DIAL DWP and following the prompts. The newest rebate program, called the Turf Removal Program, offers customers rebates of $1 per square foot of lawn removed and replaced by drought tolerant plants or permeable hardscape. Click here for more info on this and other rebate programs.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the nation’s largest municipal utility, provides reliable, low-cost water and power services to Los Angeles residents and businesses in an environmentally responsible manner. LADWP services about 1.4 million electric customers and 680,000 water customers in Los Angeles. 

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