After months of concern, the City of Ripon finally received good news on its water conservation efforts.
Public Works Director Ted Johnston said Tuesday that water use for November decreased by 34.2 percent compared to that of November 2013.
That figure approaches Gov. Jerry Brown’s mandate of 36 percent reduction for Ripon. State mandated cutbacks based on 2013 usage varies among cities and water agencies throughout California based on how high their per capita consumption was two years ago. Manteca, for example, is mandated to reduce water use by 32 percent. Manteca’s actual usage  last month was 31 percent.
The recent figures are a far cry from the recent three-month trend of the City drifting further and further away from the state target.
For example, Ripon’s water consumption reduction for September was at 22.5 percent.
The City received a Notice of Violation from the State California Water Board and took action by reducing the number of watering days to just one for the winter months while offering free household water audits, to name a few.
Ripon, in addition, has been imposing strict warnings and even fines to those in violation of the conservation ordinances.
Meanwhile, elected leaders are hoping that the upward trend in the water-reduction efforts will continue on the current path.
More water conservation tips can be found by logging on to www.cityofripon.org.