Fresno misses goal for September water cutbacks

Fresno water conservation fell to 22.3 percent in September, missing the 28 percent state-ordered target and raising concerns among city officials.

Officials said there will be consequences if Fresno misses the 28 percent goal for all months combined through February. State fines of up to $500 a day could be levied for missing the overall goal.

At the moment, the cumulative reduction for all months is 27.9 percent, city spokesman Mark Standriff said.

“We’re starting to ask people to voluntarily water only once a week instead of twice,” he said. “It’s getting cooler, and the landscape does not need as much.”

The September tally came a day after the state released official numbers for August. Fresno just missed its goal for that month, cutting back by 27.5 percent.

Officials said October is the last good opportunity to make major cutbacks in water use from outdoor irrigation, which is the biggest use among residents.

People slow down watering yards in colder months, so cutbacks would have to come from inside the home. That is a much tougher proposition, officials say.

“We took a hit in September, which means we have only 30 days to make it up before the winter months make it impossible to recover,” said Thomas Esqueda, city director of public utilities.

Fresno cut back 30 percent in June and 31 percent in July. Each month’s usage is compared against the same month from 2013 to arrive at the percentage of reduction.

On Dec. 1, there is a seasonal mandatory reduction of watering to just once a week. But Esqueda said the city will encourage everyone to make cutbacks right now.

“We’re just going to have to reach out to our customers who haven’t gotten the conservation message,” he said, “to see if we can finally get them on board.”

This story was originally published October 2, 2015 at 1:29 PM with the headline "Fresno misses goal for September water cutbacks."