Save Our Water Brings Water-Wise Landscaping to the State Fair

SACRAMENTO, CA--(Marketwired - Jul 11, 2013) - Save Our Water, a statewide water conservation education program, will host a water-wise landscaping exhibit at this year's California State Fair. The fair runs July 12-28. The Save Our Water "Water-Wise Landscaping: It's as Easy as 1-2-3" exhibit is located in The Farm section of the fairgrounds.

The Save Our Water exhibit will educate fair goers about ways to conserve water outdoors by planting beautiful, California-friendly, water-efficient plants, flowers and landscapes, as well as ways to improve the water-efficiency of residential sprinkler systems. 

Save Our Water was created by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) and the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) in 2009. The statewide program educates consumers on ways to reduce their household water use. Outdoor water use is a major focus of the program since, in many areas, 50 percent or more of residential water use goes to lawns and outdoor landscaping. 

"The Save Our Water exhibit is a great opportunity for fair goers to learn about conserving water while still having a healthy, beautiful landscape," said DWR Director Mark Cowin. "Because most of the water used at home is used outside, we want to help the public learn how easy it can be to save water outdoors." 

In addition to the educational exhibit, fair goers can visit the Save Our Water demonstration gardens which are planted with water-wise plants and use drip irrigation to maximize plant health and minimize water use. Throughout the fair, Save Our Water will host workshops on water-wise gardening basics, water-efficient irrigation, water-wise plants and more. In addition, children will have an opportunity to learn how to plant water-wise plants. Visit the Save Our Water exhibit for more detail on these activities.

"Choosing the right plants, fixing sprinklers, investing in drip irrigation or smart controllers are easy ways to reduce outdoor water use," said Jennifer Persike, ACWA's deputy executive director for external affairs and operations. "Rain or shine, Californians need to save water every day."

Despite an extremely wet December, California's winter ultimately turned out to be one of the driest on record. The final snow survey showed that the water content in California's snowpack was only 17 percent of normal. State water managers are concerned about the possibility of multiple dry years, which would further stress the state's aging and fragile water supply system and could result in water restrictions. 

To learn more about the Save Our Water program, visit www.saveourh2o.org or follow us on Facebook or Twitter. Save Our Water is a joint program founded and run by the California Department of Water Resources and the Association of California Water Agencies.