Livingston gets a break from state water conservation requirements

LIVINGSTON, Calif. -- The city was supposed to cut water usage by 32 percent, but it averaged only about a five percent reduction in June and July. Officials say that's because Foster Farms uses nearly 70 percent of the city's water, and there's only so much the company can do without putting people's health and safety at risk.

The state is now giving Livingston the first "alternative compliance order." It's a set of requirements geared specifically toward the city's usage.

"The point we were trying to make before -- is yes, we were meeting our target as far as residential, but we have one large industrial user that even if we were to turn off the water completely to the residents, we still couldn't meet their target. It's not because our residents are not conserving, it's just the way the percentages are," said Gurpal Samra, Livingston Mayor Pro Tem.

The mayor pro tem says Livingston is already taking steps required by the new "alternative compliance order." That includes hanging banners about water conservation in several spots around the city.