U.S. Water News Online
SANTA CRUZ -- Residents have responded well to a Santa Cruz County public awareness campaign urging water conservation because of drought conditions.
The campaign kicked off in late spring after a winter of below-normal rainfall. It includes billboards, rebates on low-flow showerheads and waterless urinals and adjustments to irrigation systems.
Most county water agencies asked residents to voluntarily conserve. The city of Santa Cruz, however, ordered mandatory measures in May that prohibit daytime watering outdoors.
The city has sent out 200 warning letters to those caught washing cars or watering lawns without a hose that has a nozzle on it, city water conservation manager Toby Goddard said.
"It's not a deluge of letters, to use a water term, but we're still classifying this a critically dry year. And we think the restrictions have made people more aware," he said.
Santa Cruz has already saved nearly a million gallons of water per day this month.
Santa Cruz County gets most of its water from the San Lorenzo River, which is now barely a trickle as it leaves the Santa Cruz Mountains.
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