Water Conservation at State Facilities

During the 2014-2017 drought, across California, state agencies and departments took immediate actions to curb water usage at their facilities in response to the drought state of emergency declared by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. During that time, DGS issued a Management Memo directing all state agencies to reduce water use at their facilities 10 percent by 2015, and 20 percent by 2020, which has been achieved.

Again, from 2019 through 2022, California experienced another drought with 2022 bringing the driest first three months of a year in the state’s recorded history. Governor Gavin Newsom responded with several measures to advance long-term water resilience and bolster the state’s drought response. This includes historical investments, expansion of the state’s Save Our Water campaign, and an Executive Order spurring all sectors to further water conservation efforts.

As droughts become more frequent in California, state agencies are shifting to making water conservation a way of life working across all state facilities to make permanent water-use savings to help advance long-term water resilience. This webpage shares those actions and serves as a resource to incorporate further best practices.

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Actions Taken to Conserve Water at State Facilities

State agencies have reduced water use at state facilities by 20 percent compared with a 2010 baseline. This was done through a variety of measures including:

Upgraded and replaced thousands of plumbing fixtures with low-water use fixtures
Upgraded or replaced landscape irrigation control, sprinklers, and systems
Water treatment systems
Water line repairs
Replacing some institutional commercial dishwashers with water recycling systems
Laundry water reclamation system
Shutting off water fountains and water features on state property, including the State Capitol grounds during drought emergencies
Eliminated all car washes at DGS state garage
Other innovative water reduction and conservation measures

Capitol Park Landscape Maintenance Practices

Capitol Park surrounds the California State Capitol and offers special points of interest, memorials, and monuments to remind us of our history and natural beauty. Capitol Park was established in 1860, and is the oldest arboretum west of the Mississippi. It is listed as a historical site by the Office of Historic Preservation.

The 40-acre park is home to over 900 trees (some more than 100 years old) and hundreds of other plantings. Capitol Park contains over 200 different species of trees from all parts of the world. Several of the trees hold State or National titles for the largest in their species, and some trees remain from their original plantings in 1872.

DGS has taken several measures throughout Capitol Park to conserve water through sustainable landscape maintenance practices while ensuring the survival of trees and plantings from around the world. Additionally, expanded measures have been taken in alignment with Governor Newsom’s Executive Order N-7-22 to suspend irrigation of non-functional turf in designated areas equaling a water savings of 16,888 gallons/week

To learn about these measures, download the Capitol Park’s Drought Management Plan.

Best Practices for Water Conservation

At the beginning of California’s 2014-2017 drought, the Department of General Services (DGS) shared with state agencies a set of “best practices” that should be implemented to the fullest extent possible.

These best practices documents include:

Water Resources

Below are resources for more information about water status and information in California:

California Water Watch for tracking the latest California water conditions in your watershed and accessing water conservation programs and resources from your local water agency and water service provider.

Tracking State Water Usage

In 2014, DGS released Management Memo MM 14-02 and State Administrative Manual (SAM) chapters 1835-1835.7, directing state agencies to establish baseline water use at their facilities.

Highlights:

“…State agencies directed to establish baseline water use for each facility they manage…”
“All new and renovated state buildings and landscapes shall utilize alternative sources of water…”
“State agencies shall purchase, install and operate WaterSense or equivalent (labeled) industry standard fixtures and equipment (including irrigation equipment)…”

Water Conservation Coordinated Actions by the Administration

Governor Gavin Newsom issued a drought proclamation and state of emergency in 50 California counties July 8, 2021 through Executive Order N-10-21, and urged Californians to reduce water use 15 percent compared to 2020 levels.

“…I call on all Californians to voluntarily reduce their water use by 15 percent from their 2020 levels. Commonsense measures Californians can undertake to save water and money include:

Irrigating landscapes more efficiently. As much as 50 percent of residential water use goes to outdoor irrigation, and much of that is wasted due to evaporation, wind, or runoff caused by inefficient irrigation methods and systems. Watering one day less per week, not watering during or immediately after rainfall, watering during the cooler parts of the day and using a weather-based irrigation controller can reduce irrigation water use, saving nearly 8,800 gallons of water per year.
Running dishwashers and washing machines only when full. Full laundry loads can save 15-45 gallons per load. Full dishwasher cycles can save 5-15 gallons per load.
Finding and fixing leaks. A leaky faucet that drips at the rate of one drip per second can waste nearly 3,200 gallons per year.
Installing water-efficient showerheads and taking shorter showers. Keeping showers under five minutes can save 12.5 gallons per shower when using a water-efficient showerhead.
Using a shut-off nozzle on hoses and taking cars to commercial car washes that use recycled water.”