Californians did a good job of saving water in October, a month of heavy rainfall amid easing drought conditions in a state enduring five straight dry years, regulators said Tuesday. Cities used 19.5 percent less in October compared with 2013, shortly before Gov. Jerry Brown declared a drought emergency. That’s up from 18 percent in September, and it reverses past months of backsliding since the state lifted mandatory cutbacks of up to 25
percent, officials said. October’s savings show that residents are committed to conserving, said Felicia Marcus,
chair of the State Water Resources Control Board.