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Dry conditions in California have eased, but the drought is still far from over, especially in Southern California, where El Niño didn’t bring many major storms.

Yes, the good news is that snowpack in the Sierra Nevada is greater than it has been in years, peaking at 87% in March. That’s far better than last year, when it was just 5 percent of normal.

Snowpack is important because it provides about 30 percent of the water Californians use after it melts and flows into rivers and reservoirs.

Even the storms that soaked Northern California last March have also helped ease conditions by giving some of California’s largest and most important reservoirs a boost.

This provides the state with more water for the dry months ahead—but there still isn’t enough to go around, which is why conservation is still important.

How did Santa Ana’s conservation efforts rate last year?

Californians narrowly missed meeting the 25 percent water-saving target set by Governor Brown a year ago. Reducing consumption by 23.9 percent, the conservation efforts in California saved about 368 billion gallons of water, or enough to supply nearly 6 million people for a year.

“This reduction is significant, but it’s still not enough to make up for the deficits of the prolonged drought,” explains Nabil Saba, Water Resources Manager for the City of Santa Ana. “Conservation habits are still important heading into this summer.”

Saba commended the community of Santa Ana for not only meeting the City’s conservation target, but exceeding that target by 4 percent.

The City of Santa Ana rated below the state average in residential gallons per capita. And, with the exception of City of Fountain Valley, Santa Ana came in lower than all other water districts nearby.

The state is working on setting new, reasonable water conservation targets for all water suppliers in California based on water supply conditions.

“Residents have done an excellent job reducing their water consumption and we are confident they will continue to conserve one of our most precious resources,” adds Saba.

Click here for water saving tips and rebates available to Santa Ana residents.