Save Water, Shut off Sprinklers When it Rains, Water Districts say

WALNUT, CA — Let the rain do the work, the Walnut Valley Water District said on Thursday.

With Mother Nature expected to give the Southland a dousing of rain over the next 24 hours, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Walnut Valley Water District, Arcadia Water, and other southern California water providers reminded customers on Thursday to shut off their outdoor sprinkler and irrigation systems. With California still in a stage 1 drought, now is time to help keep to state mandated water conservation measures.

"While it may be raining outside that doesn't mean we've seen an end to California's historic drought," DWP General Manager David H. Wright said. "Because our Eastern Sierra snowpack readings at this point show snow levels well below normal, we continue to urge our customers to save water as much as possible, especially during the winter months."

DWP officials urged customers to turn off their sprinkler and irrigation systems immediately, and leave them off for at least one week. The utility suggested that some customers shut off their systems for the entire winter.

Reducing water waste outdoors is one of the largest water saving opportunities available to southern California residents. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, exterior watering can account for up to 60 percent of a customer’s water use and as much as 50 percent of that water is wasted due to inefficient water systems.

According to Save Our Water, experts have estimated that the average residential customer could save about 800 gallons by not watering their landscapes for about a week.