About Save Water, Save A Buck

Saving water is more important than ever, and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California wants to help. Through MWD’s Save Water, Save A Buck Program, Southern California businesses are eligible for generous rebates to help encourage water efficiency and conservation.

The Save A Buck program offers cash rebates on a wide variety of water-saving technologies.

• High Efficiency Toilets
• Zero Water and Ultra Low Water Urinals
• Connectionless Food Steamers
• Air-Cooled Ice Machines (Tier III)
• Cooling Tower and pH Conductivity Controllers
• Waterbrooms
• Dry Vacuum Pumps

Additionally, the Save A Buck program offers rebates on outdoor landscaping equipment such as:

• Weather Based Irrigation Controllers
• Central Computer Irrigation Controllers
• Rotating Spray Nozzles retrofits
• High Efficiency Large Rotary Nozzle retrofits

Funding for the Save A Buck program is through a partnership between MWD and its 26 member agencies throughout Southern California. Their commitment to developing an affordable balance between supply and demand has made “finding” water a mission and the business sector has not only benefited greatly from the program, but has also become a strong partner in water conservation efforts.

For more information, contact Save Water, Save A Buck toll-free at 1-877-728-2282 or visit www.bewaterwise.com.

About Metropolitan

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a state chartered cooperative of 26 member agencies—cities and public water agencies—that serve about 18 million people in six counties. Metropolitan imports water from the Colorado River and Northern California to supplement local supplies, and help its members to develop increased water conservation, recycling, storage and other resource-management programs.

Metropolitan draws supplies through the Colorado River Aqueduct, which it owns and operates. Water supplies also come from Northern California via the State Water Project and from local programs and transfer arrangements. About half of Southern California’s water supply comes from local sources, and these local supplies include increasing conservation, water recycling and recovered groundwater.

MWD Mission Statement

The mission of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is to provide its service area with adequate and reliable supplies of high quality water to meet present and future needs in an environmentally and economically responsible way.

The mission of Metropolitan is to provide its 5,200 square-mile service area with adequate and reliable supplies of high-quality water to meet present and future needs in an environmentally and economically responsible way.

Overview

While Southern California’s population and economy continue to grow, its water supply doesn’t. In the next 15 years, our region is expected to gain as many as 2.6 million new residents. That’s almost like having everyone in the state of Kansas move west. Meeting this future demand is what we are hard at work on every day.

Not only will there be more cups to fill, but Metropolitan’s existing sources of imported water are under constant pressure from competing users, political demands and environmental constraints. Whether we can find acceptable solutions for greater reliability in the San Francisco Bay/San Joaquin Delta and Colorado River is far from certain. This adds greater emphasis on Metropolitan and its member agencies to develop the available local supplies.

Despite the challenges, Southern California’s water future remains promising. Our efforts have taken hold and provide a balanced mix of water resources. Water saved or produced through conservation, recovering contaminated groundwater and wastewater recycling equals the combined water needs of San Francisco, Oakland and the Silicon Valley.

Water Efficiency

Conservation is a basic element of Metropolitan’s long-term water management strategy. Our expanding commitment has resulted in more water-saving opportunities through California Friendly programs, such as one with homebuilders that cuts water use 20 percent over the average household and still allows homeowners to enjoy a beautiful landscape.

In hot, dry areas, landscape irrigation can account for as much as 70 percent of the summer water use in single-family homes. Metropolitan expanded its list of conservation programs with new outdoor water-saving actions that encourage consumers to tune up their irrigation systems and to consider native and California Friendly plants for their landscaping choices. When it comes to saving water, Metropolitan has led the way with new technologies and some of the most innovative conservation programs in the nation. The Integrated Resources Plan Update sets a target that by 2025 Southern California’s conservation measures, along with plumbing code-based savings and savings from price increases, will save more than 1.1 million acre-feet of drinking water a year.

Water Recycling

Water recycling programs use advanced treatment technologies to clean wastewater that would otherwise be unusable and go to the sea. Most recycled water is used for landscape irrigation, industrial process water and for purposes other than human consumption. Recycling is an effective way to stretch our water supplies. Metropolitan partners with its member agencies to provide financial assistance for delivered recycled water. Through this arrangement, we have helped support 41 operating projects throughout our region.

Looking Ahead

Making every drop count has become the lifestyle of Southern Californians. Our water-efficient practices have set standards that distinguish us from the rest of the nation.

Southern California’s water supply is coming full circle. During the late 1800s, the region depended on limited rainfall and local supplies. In the 1900s came the dream of aqueducts and bringing water in from the Colorado River, while nearly a half century later the State Water Project offered to fill even more the Southland’s water supply picture. Thirty years later, the

Integrated Resource Plan focuses on balanced management and development of local and imported water supplies. The success of these programs ensures reliable water supply for Southern California through 2025.