There are strong signs that we’re settling into a new culture when it comes to water use.

Coachella Valley Water District reports that its customers used 28.6 percent less water in July when compared to July 2013, the state’s comparison year. That reduction is more than 5 percentage points better than that seen in June and above the district’s cumulative average of 25.6 percent for the past 14 months. Meanwhile, Desert Water Agency – our region’s second largest after CVWD – reported a 22 percent usage cut in July, smaller than the 33 percent reduction in June but still near the agency’s cumulative water-savings of 27 percent since last summer.