Media Corner

For Immediate Release
July 24, 2006

Master Plan Paves the Road for Future Water Savings

Carson, CA - A hot Monday afternoon was the ideal backdrop to set in motion the highly-anticipated Conservation Master Plan as the Central Basin Board of Directors gave a thumbs up to the five-year action plan. Beginning this summer, the plan will serve as a road map to expanding the District's long-term water-saving efforts by introducing new, regionally-tailored programs that will drive the future of water conservation.

The goal of the Master Plan is to evaluate existing conservation measures as well as identify the latest trends and technology in the market to develop a viable, innovative regional strategy to preserve our limited precious resource. Included in the plan are current popular programs such as high-efficiency toilet giveaways and high-efficiency clothes washer rebates, which will be revamped to maximize water-savings and build new relationships with cities and purveyors in the service area.

"Through this process we have achieved two things," said Central Basin Board President Bob Apodaca. "We created a detailed road map to ensure water reliability for our future generations, and we built the community partnerships necessary to successfully navigate it. We are confident this plan will be a great success."

A targeted marketing effort will blaze new in-roads to bringing conservation to the commercial and industrial sites, which are the largest single users of water daily. Other new programs will include a patented wireless valve irrigation system that will save water and allow centralized control of the system throughout a city in the event of an emergency or severe drought, and a laundromat retrofit program that will offer enhanced water and energy-saving incentive packages to local business owners.

The construction of the Master Plan began in December 2005, when the Board voted to move forward with identifying the specific water needs of the region and developing a comprehensive regional plan based on the findings. A true collaborative process, a series of stakeholder workshops were held to invite cities, purveyors, local businesses and environmental groups to the District headquarters to discuss the programs they would like to see introduced through a regional plan.

Now finalized, the Master Plan is yet another tool for Central Basin to develop local resources and relationships to engage the region in ensuring water reliability. Through the years, the District has worked to develop key partnerships and increase water awareness to provide regional leadership and support in preserving local water supplies.