SACRAMENTO, Calif — As California enters its third consecutive dry year, state water officials say now more than ever, it is time for Californians to take action by saving water.
California is experiencing record-breaking weather as January, February, and now March have been the driest period to begin the year in the state's 170-year history.
On Thursday, Mayor Steinberg joined state water officials to stress the importance of saving water to Californians during the "Save our Water" press conference.
"Our drought conditions are becoming more threatening with climate change," California's Natural Resources' Secretary Wade Crowfoot shared. "Despite the historic storm that hit our region in December, in Sacramento, we haven't seen significant rainfall in nearly 60 days."
Steinberg says in Sacramento, we are living through the real-life water impacts of climate change as we are still in stage a two water alert.
Since the state's last drought ended in 2016, Californians have taken remarkable actions in terms of water conservation. Californians have become more efficient with the water that they use and water agencies have expanded water banking which effectively manages water supplies.
"I’m here to thank Californians for the actions that they’ve taken, but I’m also here on behalf of Gov. Newsom to ask all of us to do more," Crowfoot said.
California Volunteers' Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday shared several easy tips residents can take to save water:
- Replacing their lawn
- Planting a drought-resistant garden
- Turning off the water when brushing their teeth which can save 10 gallons of water
- Taking a five-minute shower which can save 24 gallons of water
- Washing full loads of laundry of dishes to save 60 gallons of water
- Watering trees directly with a hose or a bucket
A full list of tips on how to save water can be found at SaveOurWater.com
