Californians have surpassed water conservation expectations for the second month in a row, all without state imposed fines. Officials said on Thursday that California cities have cut water consumption for July by 31 percent, surpassing the 25 percent statewide conservation mandate set forth by Gov. Jerry Brown, according to Yahoo News.
Water conservation efforts in June were also surpassed, if only slightly, by 2 percent.
Chair of the State Water Resources Control Board Felicia Marcus said that the conservation data is "quite good," and reflects how much more people are understanding the dire need for water conservation, especially in a drought heavy state like California.
"We're very happy to see that Californians are showing they have what it takes to meet our water-savings goals," said Marcus, according to the LA Times.
Figures released by the state water board show, "290 water suppliers serving 29 million people met or exceeded their conservation standard in July - an increase from 265 in June," as reported by Fox News.
Factors that have influenced the state's conservation efforts include heavy rain in Southern California during July and strong wording used by water agencies.
Four smaller areas did not meet their goals, but one of those areas had a chicken farm which threw off calculations. Officials reserve the right to fine districts anywhere from $500 to $10,000 a day for not reaching their targets.
