In U.S. and Florida, water use is down thanks to conservation - Sun Sentinel

In an article in the Sun-Sentinel, there appears this surprising news-bit which contradicts what you would expect from population increases in south Florida. Meanwhile, our city continues to waste water due to ancient water lines and stagnant conditions in the north-end of the city by routine flushing of hydrants. Click title for link.

In Florida, increased water demand has been anticipated for years but has failed in nearly spectacular fashion to materialize. Earlier this year, a USGS report for Florida stated that freshwater use in the state decreased 22 percent from 2000 to 2010, while the state's population increased 18 percent.
In South Florida, the amount of water used is about the same as it was in 1995, even with 1.1 million more people in the region, according to the South Florida Water Management District.
As a result, per capita water use in Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties also dropped about 22 percent from 1995 to 2010, according to the district. In 1995, the average person in southeast Florida used 184 gallons of water per day. That dropped to 142 gallons per day by 2010.