Residents of Lathrop continued the water conservation trend in July, cutting their water usage by 20 percent during one of the hottest months of the year. 

According to the report that the City of Lathrop filed with the California Water Resources Control Board, residents used 149.03 million gallons of water in July compared to 187.34 million gallons during the same month in 2013 – the year that planners are using to base estimates of consumption off of. 

And it’s a trend that Lathrop has continued despite the fact that temperatures have soared this summer. 

In June, Lathrop managed a 22 percent reduction in water usage – cutting the 175.06 million gallons that were used in 2013 down to only 136.05 million gallons. 

While the city received four complaints, performed four follow-ups and issued four warnings to customers in July for not observing the watering restrictions, they performed none of those tasks in June. 

While the percentage reduction was higher in the cooler months, the fact that Lathrop has remained above 20 percent throughout the summer is a marked improvement over last summer when the same water rationing restrictions were in place. At least twice they dipped below that level, but when averaged against other months were significantly above the mandated threshold. 

And while the restrictions weren’t expected to be lifted anytime soon, a wet El Nino winter filled up the majority of Northern California’s largest reservoirs – giving lakes like Shasta and Oroville the most water that they’ve seen in years.

That was not the case for Central California reservoirs that are still below their historical average for this time of year. 

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.