RIVERSIDE, CA – This week, The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) declared a drought emergency in portions of its service area dependent on water supplies from the State Water Project, which brings water from Northern California. California is in its second year of record-low rainfall and record-high temperatures. This declaration comes on the heels of Governor Gavin Newsom’s proclamation in October, expanding the drought emergency statewide.
MWD’s commitment to its “One Water” agenda is a call to action for water agencies across the southern California region to focus on what unites us, water. Western Municipal Water District (Western) is answering this call by urging customers to step up water-saving efforts.
“Western is committed to working with our customers to protect our most precious resource,” said Western’s General Manager Craig Miller. “We must be diligent in our efforts to reduce water use so that the diminishing supplies we have in storage will sustain us through this drought period. Agencies across the region are coming together with a unified message to our customers that we all need to step up our water-saving efforts by lowering our water consumption.”
Through regional collaborations to protect the Santa Ana River watershed, water agencies are banding together to share critical action steps customers can take to meet and exceed voluntary targets set at the state level. The Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority, fondly known throughout the region as SAWPA, is a Joint Powers Authority that delivers regional water solutions supporting its member agencies – to which Western belongs. In SAWPA’s most recent Your SoCal Tap Water blog article, the watershed collaborative shared how residential and business customers can step up efforts and be more mindful about indoor and outdoor water use. Customers interested in learning more can visit YourSoCalTapWater.org to read more.
“One of the easiest ways for Western customers to save water is to dial back outdoor watering,” Miller suggested. “Save water by taking minutes or days off your irrigation schedule during these cooler months when your landscape is dormant and doesn’t need it.”
Western offers a variety of customer support programs that provide even more money-savings above standard rebates for replacing water-thirsty lawns and inefficient home appliances. Our programs also include free landscape efficiency surveys, easy-to-follow DIY landscape sample designs, and more.
Learn more about how Western is prepared to help customers during the drought at wmwd.com/Drought. Stay connected with Western on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for water-saving tips, enhanced rebate information, and all the Western water happenings.
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Western Municipal Water District is one of the largest public agencies in Riverside County, providing water and wastewater (sewer) services to nearly a million people, both retail and wholesale customers who live, work and play within 527 square miles in one of California’s most populous regions. Learn more: wmwd.com.