Bay Area water districts seeking easing of conservation mandates

BRENTWOOD, Calif. (KGO) -- Winter is off to a good start with Tuesday's snowpack reading. State officials found 76 inches of snow near Echo Summit. The water content is 130 percent of normal for this time of year. But it's not enough.

The snowpack needs to be 150 percent of normal to signal an easing drought.

Back in the Bay Area, despite recent rain and snow, no one is proclaiming an end to the drought.

But there are Bay Area water districts that would like to see the state roll back its conservation mandates, even if just a little.

Last summer, the state placed Brentwood in the highest tier - a 32% mandatory reduction. Residents have met that goal and exceeded it, with a cumulative reduction of 40 percent.

Now, Brentwood officials are looking to the state to see if their mandate might go down.

"There is some adjustments made on climate and growth, so there's some opportunity where our 32 percent mandate might drop," explained Chris Elhers, with Brentwood Public Works.

"Our customers have actually saved a cumulative amount of 37 percent," he said.

Customers in the Contra Costa Water District have also exceeded the 28 percent mandate placed on them. But even if the state lowers it, the district won't change its drought program, at least not yet.

"It has rained a lot and snowed a lot, which is great, but it's still only February," said Jennifer Allen, with Contra Costa Water District .

Overall, Californians have exceeded the governor's 25 percent mandate, since June. But water conservation dropped to its lowest point, just 18 percent in December.

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To learn how much water your city is required to cut back, click here. For water rebate information from Bay Area water suppliers, click here. You'll find tips about how to conserve water here and information on how to to report water wasters #WhereYouLive, here.

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