Published: Nov 16, 2015 | 11:33 AM

IRWD Customers Reduce Water Use 24% in October

During the month of October, IRWD customers used nearly 24 percent less water compared to October 2013. The District's five-month running water conservation total now stands at 17.8 percent, which is above the 16 percent total that was mandated for the District earlier this year by the California State Water Resources Control Board. 

IRWD customers have saved 1.8 billion gallons of water since June 1st, putting IRWD 71 percent of the way toward reaching the overall water reduction goal, which must be met by February 29, 2016. Four months remain until the deadline for the District and its customers to achieve total water savings of nearly 2.5 billion gallons. 

While El Niño is looking very likely this winter, its impact will not undo four consecutive years of a statewide, historic drought. IRWD is encouraging its customers to take advantage of the potentially wet weather by doing the following things:

• Give your sprinklers a winter break - Turn off your sprinklers and let Mother Nature take over during the cooler, wetter months. At a minimum, sprinklers should be left off ahead of, during and for two days after any rainstorm.
• Purchase one or more rain barrels - Put the rain falling on your property to good use, even days after any storms have passed. Rebates of $75 per barrel are available (Maximum of 4 rebates).
• Install a drought-tolerant landscape - Late Fall and Winter are optimal for planting. IRWD pays customers $2 per square foot for customers to replace their grass lawns with drought friendly gardens.
• Purchase a Weather-Based Irrigation Controller - These smart controllers automatically adjust your sprinkler run times to match changing climate conditions and turn off your sprinklers ahead of and during any rain events. Rebates of up to $80 per controller are available for residents with less than one-acre of landscape.

For more information, please visit the IRWD El Niño page. To find out which rebates IRWD offers to its customers, go to rightscapenow.com/rebates.