Dismal Water Savings In February

Californians cut their water use by less than 3 percent in February. It's the lowest reduction since last July.

The bleak water saving news followed the driest January on record.

Felicia Marcus, Chair of The State Water Resources Control Board, called the savings 'deeply discouraging.' She says people likely turned on their sprinklers during warm days.

"The message has to go out, stop watering all the time as the temperatures gets hotter and the months go on," says Marcus. "Wee can't afford to be wasting water on our landscapes."

The tally comes on the heels of Governor Brown's order last week to reduce urban water use by 25 percent compared to 2013, the year before he declared a drought emergency.

Eric Poston, who lives near Sacramento, says saving water is easier than most people think. He collects rainwater for his large vegetable garden through a variety of catchment systems at his house.

"Last year, I did that and I got till August before I had to actually turn on my sprinklers and irrigation," says Poston. "Since we got rain today, I'm hoping that I can get to August again before I have to turn on my irrigation system."

The Water Board is working on new mandatory regulations to help cities slash water use. The rules will be released next month. Felicia Marcus says the rules will allow cities to issue cease and desist orders, and daily fines of up to $10,000 to water abusers.