Californians getting drought message: Water usage plunges

FILE - In this May 18, 2015, file photo, irrigation pipes hang along a dried irrigation canal on a field farmed by Gino Celli near Stockton, Calif. California's drought-stricken cities set a record for water conservation, reducing usage 29 percent in May, according to data released by a state agency Wednesday, July 1, 2015. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File) less FILE - In this May 18, 2015, file photo, irrigation pipes hang along a dried irrigation canal on a field farmed by Gino Celli near Stockton, Calif. California's drought-stricken cities set a record for water ... more Photo: Rich Pedroncelli, Associated Press Photo: Rich Pedroncelli, Associated Press Image 1 of / 19 Caption Close Californians getting drought message: Water usage plunges 1 / 19 Back to Gallery

California residents cut their water use by nearly 29 percent in May compared with the same month in 2013, the steepest reduction since officials began calling for people to conserve last year, according to figures the state released Wednesday.

The 28.9 percent drop was well above the 11 percent cumulative savings registered in the year since Gov. Jerry Brown called for voluntary statewide cutbacks of 20 percent. The savings also exceeded the mandatory targets of 25 percent that Brown imposed in an executive order April 1.

One factor in the good news, say state officials, could be that May 2015 was cooler and wetter than the norm for that month of the year. Even so, there was optimism Wednesday that residents across the state might finally be looking at the lack of rain not as a dusty irritation, but as a threat to the state’s quality of life.

“We hope we’ve hit a turning point in terms of people getting the message, that it’s sinking in that we’re in a severe drought,” said Katheryn Landau, an environmental scientist for the State Water Resources Control Board.

One of the biggest success stories was Hillsborough, the wealthy woodsy community of 11,000 in San Mateo County. Water use in the town fell 49 percent between May 2013 and May 2015, as steep a drop as any in California.

Asked the secret to Hillsborough’s success, interim City Manager Kathy Leroux could point to no single factor. But she echoed the notion that the severity of the drought is all but impossible now for most people to shrug off.

“We’ve been trying our hardest to educate the folks, and we’ve done a lot of public outreach,” Landau said. The city itself has cut back on use: “We have beautiful redwoods around the town hall that are looking stressed. We’re trying to keep them going the best we can.”

Overall, water use in the Bay Area for May was 32 percent below the same month in 2013.

Average daily water use per person was 66.4 gallons — the lowest per capita residential figures for any part of the state except the North Coast.

In the Los Angeles and San Diego area, the May decline in water use was 25.7 percent. One of the steepest drops in the state came in the Central Valley north of Fresno, where people cut water use by 35 percent.

Overall, the average daily use per Californian in May was 87.5 gallons.

John King is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jking@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @johnkingsfchron