Coastal California Residents Use Far Less Water Than Inland Residents

New data tracking residential water use in California reveals big disparities in water habits. It shows residents in California coastal areas are using far less water than those in inland communities but can still find ways to conserve even more. Regional water use differences range from 84 gallons per-person, per-day in the San Francisco Bay Area to 252 in the Colorado River basin, which includes San Bernardino and Riverside. The figures exclude industrial, agricultural and business water users. The State Water Resources Control Board is collecting per-capita data to better target conservation efforts as farms go fallow and reservoirs dry up. Gov. Jerry Brown called on Californians to reduce water use by 20 percent when he declared a drought emergency in January. Californians are being asked to let their lawns go brown and take shorter showers as the likelihood of drought conditions worsening rises.