Drought Still Drying Up California –Water Conservation Measures Are Vital
The drought in California continues unabated. Below-average rainfall, very little snowmelt runoff, and the largest court-ordered water transfer restrictions in California history have all prompted Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to issue an Executive Order. This Order calls upon water providers to take immediate action to reduce water consumption and prepare for water conditions that could likely get worse in the coming year.
Locally, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) has declared a Water Supply Alert for its member agencies, which include the City of Paramount – we get 60% of our water from local wells and buy the other 40% from MWD’s wholesaler, the Central Basin Municipal Water District.
Part of the Alert urges all local water agencies to pass conservation and drought ordinances, accelerate public outreach, and develop more local supplies. Paramount’s water utility is already in the process of drilling a new well to access more underground supplies. Even with that, though, there is a chance that MWD will be cutting its portion of water available for purchase by the City.
In light of all this, the City Council has passed a resolution that strongly encourages all water customers to reduce usage on a voluntary basis. Here are some conservation measures that will help achieve this goal.
Upcoming Meetings
Water Saving Tips
Only water your lawn and plants between 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m. (Check to see if your grass even needs to be watered – when you step on it, if the grass springs back up, it doesn’t require water at that time.) Adjust sprinklers to avoid runoff water. Also, try limiting landscape watering to no more than every other day.
Don’t hose down driveways, sidewalks, parking areas and other paved surfaces – sweep, instead.
Repair leaks in outdoor and indoor plumbing as well as sprinkler systems. (Call the Paramount Water Company at 562-220-2010 if you need help detecting leaks.)
Install low-flow showerheads and water-saving toilets.
Shorten your showers by a few minutes.
Only wash full loads for both laundry & automatic dishwashers.
Turn off the water when you brush your teeth and when soaping and scrubbing hand-washed dishes.
If you wash your own car, use a bucket and sponge, or a hose with a shutoff nozzle, and avoid runoff water.
Turn off decorative fountains that don’t re-circulate water.
There are also rebates available to Paramount residents through the Central Basin Municipal Water District for the purchase of certain water-saving appliances. Please visit www.centralbasin.org or www.bewaterwise.com to learn about them and for more ways to conserve.
Upcoming Events & Excursions
The City has a number of exciting events and excursions coming up. For more information, please call (562) 220-2121.
- 8:00 AM
& Snow
- 5:00 PM Naples Holiday Lights Excursion 1/02/09 - 8:00 AM Rose Parade Showcase of Floats Excursion