Water usage drops 29%
State’s conservation effort in May tops governor’s request
Californians in May shot past Gov. Jerry Brown’s water conservation targets in response to the drought emergency — a profound shift in behavior for a state that until recently prized its hot tubs, lush landscaping and spotless cars.
New numbers, released Wednesday, show that the state’s ambitious conservation campaign is working, with statewide residential water use declining 28.9 percent in May from its baseline 2013 levels. The figures beat Brown’s order in April to cut water use statewide by 25 percent.
The Bay Area saved even more: 31.9 percent. And the leafy Peninsula town of Hillsborough, once identified as the region’s biggest water hog, cut its use by an astounding 49 percent.
“It is clear from this report that many communities have made a commitment as Califor-
nians to scale back outdoor watering and conserve,” said Felicia Marcus, chairwoman of the State Water Resources Control Board. “Californians are creative. We can fix the leaks, let the lawn go brown and take shorter showers.”
The 29 percent reduction is the hydrological equivalent of trading in a Porsche 911 Carrera for a fuel-efficient Honda Fit. Or pinching pennies at a Holiday Inn, rather than splurging at a Hilton.
“The key for making tough changes is to change together,” said BJ Fogg, a behavioral scientist at Stanford University and director of Stanford’s Persuasive Technology Lab.
To be sure, cool May temperatures contributed to the success, according to the state water board. But the savings represented the best showing since the state started tracking conservation last year. And the May figures (breaking December’s record of 22.4 percent) followed several months of tepid conservation: 13.5 percent in April and 4 percent in March.
Behavioral experts say the same carrot-and-stick tools help change any bad habit — whether it’s smoking, speeding, overeating or taking 20-minute showers.
Some cities, like Fresno, have conserved through aggressive monitoring, enforcement and ticketing for those who violate watering restrictions.
The state water board reports that Californians have filed 28,555 water waste complaints in May. That resulted in 36,159 formal warnings and 1,786 fines and other penalties.
Helpful advice — combined with environmental horror stories — were enough to motivate Karen Williams, administrative director of UCSF’s Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education.
“They were clear. They said what was needed. And it came from the top — the governor,” Williams said. “We were looking for advice, and they gave it.”
Increasingly, the drought has come to be viewed as a social problem, not only an environmental problem. When neighbors’ lawns are dying, bright green turf becomes as politically incorrect as tooling around town in a Hummer.
And there’s this: Antismoking research shows that as more people quit, it becomes much simpler to convince those few remaining smokers to quit, Williams said.
In the drought, “you see how others are cutting back,” so there’s motivation to follow, she said.
“Making big changes alone is hard,” said Stanford’s Fogg. “When you tap into the power of social (dynamics), behavior change is easier and more motivating.”
Research at his lab shows that three things are needed to change behavior
“Making big changes alone is hard. When you tap into the power of social (dynamics), behavior change is easier andmore motivating.”
— BJ Fogg, a behavioral scientist at Stanford University and
director of Stanford’s Persuasive Technology Lab
— and all three are abundant in this thirsty, yellowing state.
The first is motivation, such as peer pressure. The second is simplicity, through easy-to-remember tips. The third is what he calls a “trigger,” or reminder.
“When I see someone converting their lawn into a drought-resistant landscape, it is a reminder to me to take the exact same step,” he said.
Indeed, there seems to be a new competitive pride in conservation.
“I have a big gigantic stockpot that I keep in my sink — and when I run hot water, I catch it and use it to water my house plants,” said Morgan Hill resident Martha Oral, 55.
“When the water in my dog’s bowl starts to get hair and other stuff in it I empty it into the house plants rather than put it down the sink,” said San Ramon resident Kristina Teves, 28. “This sounds kind of gross, but we are also a ‘if it’s yellow let it mellow’ kind of family.”
Affluent Hillsborough residents are now letting their sprawling lawns turn brown, watering plants with reclaimed water and purchasing drought-resistant plants.
Told by the state water board to cut their water use 36 percent, Hillsborough residents are now prohibited from using their sprinkler systems more than twice a week.
“People are certainly starting to talk about it more,” said David Weinberg, 74, who installed drip irrigation systems in his Hillsborough home and now recycles all his bath water. “We are all stewards of the earth. Everyone has to do their part.”