FRESNO, Calif. (AP) -- Officials say residents of drought-stricken California kept up water conservation despite long, hot days near the peak of summer.

 

The State Water Resources Control Board on Wednesday will release figures for how much residents and businesses saved in July.

 

California is in its fifth straight year of drought.

 

Max Gomberg, the water board's senior climate scientist, says summer offers the greatest opportunity to cut back on how much people water their yards.

 

He wouldn't say how much residents conserved for the month, waiting for the water board's formal announcement. In June, California cutback water use by more than 21 percent.

 

A near normal winter in Northern California eased drought. Officials still urge residents to use water sparingly, uncertain of what the coming winter will bring.