Challenge, Accepted! San Clemente Wins Wyland Pocket Park Contest

SAN CLEMENTE, CA — Following its third year of participation in the Wyland National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation, the City of San Clemente has been named the 2019 winner of a breakaway competition among Orange County cities to win the design and installation of a new water-efficient demonstration garden, or “pocket park.”

Each April, cities across the nation compete in the Wyland National Mayor’s
Challenge for Water Conservation. This noteworthy, month-long competition encourages citizens coast-to-coast to mindfully select from a series of pledges to use water more wisely and protect existing water resources, while their mayors compete to achieve the highest percentage of pledging residents in their cities.

For the 2019 Challenge, the City of San Clemente alone collected almost 2,700 pledges from community members, committing to reduce the City’s water use by over 9 million gallons in the year to come. The City also placed an impressive 15th nationwide among cities with 30,000-99,999 residents.

The size, location, and style of the new San Clemente water-wise pocket park will be determined in the coming months.

The annual Orange County pocket park competition is produced through a partnership between the Municipal Water District of Orange County and the Wyland Foundation.

Pocket park components will be donated by a variety of generous sponsors, including the Saddleback College Horticulture and Landscape Design Department, Toro Irrigation, and Native West landscape management.

For more information about water conservation in general, please visit the City’s website at http://www.san-clemente.org /water-conservation.