SALEM, Ore. — Data shows some Salem households use millions of gallons of water despite calls for conservation amid the drought.
The Statesman Journal reports that analysis of city billing data found that five residents used more than a million gallons last year. Sixteen households used more than 660,000 gallons — the amount contained in an Olympic-sized swimming pool.
Two of those households used about 7 million gallons of water, enough to supply 70 average households.
The data comes as the West enters its fifth year of drought. Gov. Kate Brown has declared a drought emergency in Marion County and cities including Silverton, Molalla, Lake Oswego and Bend have asked residents to cut back on water use.
