We recently tallied water savings from June of 2015 – the implementation date of the State’s drought mandate – to the present. Results indicate that residents and businesses in the Coachella Valley have been water wise, saving more than 60 billion gallons of water.

Water conservation is a way of life. Residents and businesses made permanent water-saving changes that will benefit our valley for years to come. The CV Water Counts team is committed to promoting a water-wise valley lifestyle as something permanent. This is essential to addressing current drought conditions and weathering future ones.

The savings are over approximately 72 months (6 years) in the Coachella Valley. To put the water savings into context, 60 billion gallons equals:

  • 1/40 of the water in the Salton Sea
  • 1.2 billion bathtubs (50 gallons per bath) or 2,400 baths per Valley resident
  • 90,850 Olympic-size swimming pools (660,430 gallons per pool)
  • 1,500 million loads of laundry (40 gallons per load) or 3,000 loads of laundry per Valley resident
  • 480 billion pints of beer or 960,000 pints of beer per person

Since the last drought, the CV Water Counts team started an Academy for those interested in learning about water, hosted and participated in various community events, awarded students for conservation poster and video contests, and more.

We also recently launched a robust, new website that features the CV Water Counts spokesperson, Splash, a fun and friendly water drop. The site includes a comprehensive Save section, offering everything from rebates, conservation tips, videos, and desert landscaping photos, to water walkthrough guides and a water-wise survey. The Learn section features information on where our water comes from, a host of FAQs, downloadable activities for parents, teachers and children, and a number of educational resources, including the popular CV Water Counts Academy, now in its fifth year. The Play section includes Splash’s Fun Book, a Scavenger Hunt, and the annual Poster Contest. The site also connects visitors to many resources – a map of the service areas of the valley’s six water agencies, coupons for a variety of water-wise services, and links to all valley water agencies’ careers pages. In addition, there’s a list of local, regional, national, and international water-related events, links to a number of other educational water websites, a blog, and the opportunity to sign up for the monthly Water Watch e-Newsletter.

As a result of ongoing efforts to educate and create awareness of the need to conserve water – and thanks to the support of the local media – many residents and businesses have come to realize that water is a precious resource, and that conservation is a way of life. This is key as drought conditions continue across the state. Many have all made permanent water-saving changes that will benefit our valley now and for years to come.