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  • State Government
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Caltrans Trying To Cut Water Use In Half

  •  Katie Orr 
Monday, August 17, 2015 | Sacramento, CA
Richard Vogel / File / AP

FILE - In this Feb. 14, 2014, file photo, morning traffic makes its way toward downtown Los Angeles along the Hollywood Freewaympast an electronic sign warning of severe drought.

Richard Vogel / File / AP

Caltrans maintains more than 30,000 acres of landscaping along state highways. The transportation agency says it’s trying to reduce its water use by 50 percent. 

Gilbert Mohtes Chan, with Caltrans, says the agency has installed smart meters to control landscape irrigation, which accounts for 75 percent of the agency's water use.

"Beyond our landscaping we’re also reducing use at our facilities," he says. "We’re, for example, cutting back on washing our vehicles, using recycled water."

Mohtes Chan says Caltrans used more than 7 billion gallons of water in 2013 and reduced that to about 5 billion last year. He says the agency is on its way to meeting the 50 percent reduction goal.


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    More about drought

  • State Of Drought

    Reservoir levels are at historic lows, municipalities are ordering mandatory conservation and farmers are bracing for water shortages. CapRadio is following how Californians are being impacted by the drought.

 droughtcaltranswaterDrought 2015

Katie Orr

Former Health Care Reporter

Katie Orr reported for Capital Public Radio News through December 2015.  Read Full Bio 

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