As the sometimes-forgotten drought ambles toward another potentially dry rainy season, Culver City residents have reason to take a bow – if not a deep one.

As the community advanced from mandatory to voluntary water usage in recent months, the first reports today rate commendable grades.

Under the mandatory guidelines, residents were instructed to reduce usage 16 percent below the level for the same month in 2013.

“Not bad,” said Public Works Director Charles Herbertson of the first late summer report.

Culver City water usage for August, the first voluntary month, was down 13 percent from August 2013, a relatively modest 3 percent down from the mandatory level.

Using conservation data provided by the Golden State Water Co., which serves about 90 percent of Culver City residents, Mr. Herbertson said the community’s individual average of 77 gallons of water per day per person “is pretty good.”

Malibu’s 22,000 residents average a whopping 300 gallons daily.

Mr. Herbertson preferred a comparison with the middling community of Claremont. Their non-drought-conscious residents spend 195 gallons a day. In Norwalk, the average is a commendable 68 daily gallons. “That is to be expected, though,” said Mr. Herbertson, “because they probably are more densely populated than we are.

“We are on par with communities like Artesia (76 gallons), which is less affluent than Culver City.”

Mr. Herbertson’s conclusion:

“Our numbers are pretty good.”