Water use in Los Angeles fell 13 percent over the last 12 months, putting the city more than half-way toward Mayor Eric Garcetti's call for a 20 percent reduction by 2017, according to figures released Wednesday.
Garcetti, who is in Washington, D.C., this week, is calling for a 20 percent reduction of water use by 2017.
According to the mayor's office, daily per capita water use during the 12 months ending June 30 was 113 gallons per day, down 13 percent from 131 gallons per capita during the same period the previous year.
Although the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has stopped offering rebates for removing water-hungry turf, the city of Los Angeles will keep offering its own rebate, which is $1.75 for each square feet of turf removed, according to the mayor's office.
The city was previously offering $3.75 per square foot, but $2 of that amount came from the MWD, which has exhausted its allotted funding for the program.
More information about the city's turf rebate program can be found here.
"Angelenos have responded to my call for action and have stepped up to significantly conserve during this historic drought -- building on our city's already impressive history of water conservation," Garcetti said. "The most valuable solution to this water crisis is our willingness to change our relationship with water."
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Garcetti is now calling for continued conservation, in the hopes of hitting the next goal of a 15 percent reduction by 2016.
To achieve that goal, Garcetti reminded Angelenos of the call to reduce watering to two days per week, make changes to household irrigation and report water waste using the MyLA311 app or by emailing the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power's Water Conservation Response Team at waterwaste@ladwp.com.
More tips and information about water conservation is can be found at http://www.ladwp.com/waterconservation or http://www.savethedropla.org.
Garcetti also announced he is bringing in Los Angeles Water Keeper Director Liz Crosson to serve as his water policy adviser. Crosson's salary is funded by grants from foundations such as\ Environment Now and the California Water Foundation. She will work under Matt Petersen, Garcetti's chief sustainability officer.
While the number of Los Angeles residents has grown, the amount of water Angelenos use is at the same level as 45 years ago, according to city officials.
