New water conservation website helps valley residents save water, money

Lisha Astorga became interested in landscaping when she got fed up with her water bill.

“A third or a quarter of an acre I think our lot was, and we were spending probably about $150 dollars a month,” Astorga said.

So she began taking conservation classes at her local water district, and at her new home in Sky Valley implemented “desert landscaping.” She showed us it doesn’t have to mean all rocks and cactuses.

“None of the plants in my yard require much water at all,” Astorga said.

By choosing plants and trees native to the climate, she made her yard both lush and water-efficient. And according to regional water agencies, limiting water use in your yard is the number one way to reduce overall consumption.

“You can look for leaks, you can check your water sprinkler heads and make sure that when you are watering outside, because that is such a huge amount of the water that we use, that you’re doing it as efficiently as possible,” said Katie Ruark, public information officer for Desert Water Agency.

Tips like this can be found, beginning tomorrow, on a new website from the Coachella Valley Regional Water Management Group.

CVWaterCounts.com will offer tools to help you learn more about saving water and money through rebates and incentives in your area.

“It will take you with simply an address, exactly to the programs that are available. So if you want a toilet rebate or you’re interested in a turf buyback program, by putting in your address you’ll be redirected to your agency’s website so you can figure out if you’re eligible for something like that,” Ruark said.

The site also reminds us there are simple ways to save water inside the home everyday.

“There’s all kinds of things you can do, you can turn off the water when you brush your teeth, we all know that one, but the biggest one you can do is checking for leaks. Leaks in the home account for a huge amount of water loss,” Ruark said.

You can learn more about the website and other conservation resources Saturday, October 19 at the 8th annual Desert Garden Community Day. The event will be held at the Henderson Community Building at 72559 Highway 111 in Palm Desert.