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Few California state agencies could produce records of water use when the Associated Press requested them recently, leaving the rate of actual water conservation unknown for state agencies. Governor Brown in January asked residents and agencies to reduce water usage by 20 percent. The AP asked the 11 agencies and departments that use the most water to compare water use for the first half of 2014 with last year’s, but only four were able to share the data for buildings they manage, and in some cases, took weeks to round up the data. This unfulfilled data request highlights one of the state’s challenges in managing its water supply. Of the four agencies and departments that did provide water data, the Employment Development Department, which provides unemployment insurance and collects payroll taxes, used 32 percent less water in the first half of 2014 than it did in 2013. The Department of Developmental Services' facilities curbed their water use by 21 percent, the Department of Veterans Affairs cut use by 11 percent, and the Department of State Hospitals curbed water consumption by 18 percent. Sacramento Bee (Calif.), July 26, 2014