LUCERNE, Calif. — As the drought intensifies, local water utility California Water Service is helping customers save water every day through expanded water conservation programs and educational resources.

These programs and resources include newly launched lawn-to-garden and spray-to-drip rebates, which offer incentives for Cal Water customers to make their landscaping and irrigation systems as efficient as possible.

Cal Water’s lawn-to-garden program offers a rebate of $3 per square foot of lawn removed and replaced with low-water-use landscaping.

The spray-to-drip program provides a rebate of $0.50 per square foot of landscaping converted from a standard spray irrigation system to a drip system, as drip irrigation uses 20 to 50 percent less water compared to sprinklers.

“We partnered with Lucerne customers and businesses to achieve impressive water savings during the last drought,” said Tavis Beynon, interim district manager. “Now, we are offering even more support for Redwood Valley customers to reduce their water use as we face increasingly serious drought conditions.”

These incentives are in addition to Cal Water’s existing industry-leading conservation programs to help save water every day, including:

· Rebates on high-efficiency appliances and devices, with certain rebates recently doubled

· A smart landscape tuneup program that includes an irrigation system evaluation along with installation of efficient devices and repair of most irrigation leaks at no cost to customers

· A free conservation kit that includes a garden hose nozzle with shut-off valve, high-efficiency shower heads, faucet aerators and more for residential customers

Additionally, Cal Water encourages customers to follow its easy do's and don’ts of water conservation.

DO:

· Check for broken sprinkler heads and hidden leaks once per month;

· Install a smart irrigation controller that automatically adjusts to weather conditions;

· Check if your lawn is thirsty before watering;

· Repair leaks within five days of notification.

DON’T:

· Use water on outdoor landscaping that causes runoff onto adjacent properties or paved areas.

· Use a hose to wash vehicles unless the hose has a shut-off nozzle or similar device.

· Irrigate outdoors between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., unless local ordinances state otherwise.

· Use water in a fountain or other decorative water feature, except where part of a recirculating system.

Cal Water is here to help customers save water every day. Program details and additional information can be found on www.calwater.com/conservation.

The utility will continue to monitor conditions in Lucerne and implement any additional actions based on ongoing supply and demand assessments, according to Beynon.

Cal Water’s Redwood Valley District serves approximately 3,200 people through 1,900 service connections in Lucerne, Duncans Mills, Guerneville, Dillon Beach, and a portion of Santa Rosa area and about 2 million people through 492,600 service connections in California. The utility has provided water service in the area since 2000. Additional information may be obtained online at www.calwater.com.