As we move into the hot, dry months of summer, make sure you are doing your part to conserve water during the drought. According to our partners at SCV Water, we are facing a historic multi-year mega-drought and the Governor has called on all Californians to voluntarily reduce water usage by up to 20%. This may seem daunting, but there are several simple things you can do around your home to help save water.

Did you know that, on average, 60% of residential water is used outdoors? That is where water waste is most likely to occur. Make sure you check your sprinklers, as irrigation runoff is the number one culprit of water waste. Also, don’t hose down your driveways and walkways. Instead, use a broom to remove debris. When washing your car, you should use a shutoff nozzle to reduce wasted water. Consider installing drip irrigation, it is ideal for plants because water directly soaks into the soil without washing away soil or mulch.

The city has made saving water at our parks and landscape districts a priority for years. Throughout our city facilities, we have implemented the utilization of smart irrigation controllers. Smart irrigation controllers work by utilizing real-time weather data and site-specific landscape conditions to limit water usage to only what is needed. In all of our city parks and the majority of our Land Maintenance District areas, we have also installed irrigation master valves and flow sensors to stop excess water flow from irrigation systems that may break or malfunction.

In the fall of 2021, Land Maintenance District staff created a plan that would eliminate the high usage of water with traditional grass and instead replaced it with turf. As a city, we have integrated new technology to ensure we are doing our part in reducing water waste.

The city has made drastic progress thanks to the assistance of our staff. The Parks division has specialized staff members whose responsibility is the parks irrigation system city-wide. The team monitors daily reports from the smart irrigation controllers to address flow alerts, breaks and other irrigation system malfunctions. As you can see, as a city, we have taken measures to ensure the reduction of water usage throughout our community. Our efforts have saved more than 2.4 billion gallons of water since the initial deployment of the smart irrigation system in 2010.

If you would like to find out more information about how you can save water this summer, please visit our website, Green Santa Clarita. There you will find more tips about water conservation, free workshops and information on water rebates. By doing what we can to save water during this drought, we can work together to ensure a reliable water supply for years to come.

Ken Striplin is the City Manager for the city of Santa Clarita and can be reached at kstriplin@santa-clarita.com.