Palm Desert Bank Among 'Outstanding Water Savers': CVWD

PALM DESERT, CA- Local water officials on Tuesday honored a La Quinta resident and Palm Desert bank for their efforts at curbing water usage.

The board of directors for Coachella Valley Water District presented conservation awards to Tracey Newton of La Quinta and First Bank of Palm Desert for winning the latest contest hosted by the agency.

"The contests are divided into two categories to recognize homeowners who have transformed their yards into water-friendly landscapes and commercial properties that have implemented effective water conservation practices," CVWD officials said. "Both winners also received rebates through CVWD's turf buyback program."

Here is more on the winners, courtesy of the water district:

• Most Beautiful Yard winner: Tracey Newton
  Tracey Newton of La Quinta is the winner of the Most Beautiful Yard category. She replaced approximately 600 square feet of grass with water-efficient plants and installed a new drip irrigation system. This new landscaping has reduced Newton's water bills by more than half. She also created a desert-friendly landscape attractive to birds, butterflies, lizards and insects.
  
  Her yard features an official Monarch Waystation sign. Monarch Waystations are areas that have met certain criteria to provide resources necessary for monarch butterflies to produce successive generations and sustain their migration.
  
  
• Outstanding Commercial Water Saver: First Bank, Palm Desert
  First Bank of Palm Desert is the winner of the Outstanding Commercial Water Saver award. The bank recently replaced more than 4,000 square feet of grass with desert-friendly landscaping. This project is estimated to save the bank about 60 gallons of water per square foot of grass removed, which is approximately 250,000 gallons per year.
  

"These projects are excellent examples of the significant water savings that can be achieved by making changes to outdoor landscaping," said Heather Engel, CVWD director of communication & conservation. "Thanks to efforts like this, CVWD customers are using on average 25% less water than in 2013. While this doesn't meet the state's 32% mandate, it's an impressive accomplishment for our community."

For more information about CVWD's conservation contests, visit www.cvwd.org.

(Image courtesy of the Coachella Valley Water District)