Benicia residents have reduced water consumption nearly 10 percent since March when compared to the same period in 2012, according to figures released Tuesday by the city’s Public Works Department, a development cheered by Mayor Elizabeth Patterson and others as a good start.

Benicia’s total water use from March through May was about 236 million gallons, according to information provided by Public Works. That compares to the city’s 2012 baseline for the same months of 261 million gallons.

The savings of about 25 million gallons of water is a year’s supply for about 195 households, department figures indicated.

Benicia officials chose 2012 as the baseline year because it is close to a five-year average for water use, and March was chosen as the starting point for the review because it’s the first full month after Benicia City Council called on residents to start saving water because of the statewide drought declared by Gov. Jerry Brown.

“We’re doing it!” Mayor Elizabeth Patterson said in the city news release. “Benicians are conserving water even during hot spells.”

However, in February the Council approved a 20-percent voluntary water reduction goal citywide, reinforcing that in April through a formal resolution that asked residents to cut back on water consumption by that amount.

In addition, the city launched a public outreach program of banners, stickers, restaurant table signs and other promotional material to inform and remind residents to save water whenever possible.

“We need to keep up the good work and show the governor that we know how to conserve water,” Patterson said. “We need to do more to reach our 20-percent target. The warmer temperatures mean we have to work extra hard to be efficient in our water use inside and outside.”

Benicia ordinarily gets 85 percent of its water from the State Water Project (SWP).

But this year, state officials announced that contractors such as Benicia, who pay for full supplies no matter how much water the SWP delivers, would not get a single drop.

That was subsequently revised to indicate some clients would get 5 percent of their contracts, but not until September.

At its July 1 meeting, the Council will consider whether emergency outdoor watering restrictions are needed.

These would limit landscape watering to certain days and times to help Benicia meet its 20-percent water reduction goal.

“Most water use occurs in June, July and August, which is when temperatures typically reach their peak,” said Dave Wenslawski, Benicia’s water quality technician.

“While it might be tempting to ramp up outdoor watering to match the temperatures, consider this: Many people overwater their landscape by at least double.”

Wenslawski suggested residents reduce the time they water their landscape by two minutes each period, then watch plants for signs of stress, such as leaf tips drooping, curling or turning yellow.

“You might find that your landscape actually prefers the water break,” he said.

He called another trick the “screwdriver test.”

Before turning on the sprinklers or aiming a water hose, he suggested pressing a screwdriver into the soil.

“If you can push a screwdriver more than three inches into your lawn, you don’t need to water,” Wenslawski said.

Free services and rebates are available to help residential and business customers use less water, he said.

Two new offerings include “landscape-to-laundry” gray water kits and Showerstart shower heads. There also are rebates for water-efficient toilets and clothes washers, upgrading water-wasting sprinklers and controllers, and for replacing grass lawns with low-water use plants, Wenslawski said.

In addition, Benicia offers free consultations for both residential and business customers to give them tailored information on how they can use less water in the home and at work.

Those interested may visit BeniciaSavesWater.org, or call the city’s water conservation team at 707-746-4380 or email them at water@ci.benicia.ca.us.