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In a recent Los Angeles Times article, reporter Ann Simmons points to the fact that the water supply in Antelope Valley, California is set to be greatly reduced starting Dec. 7 for dramatic system upgrades. You can read Simmons full article here.

From Dec. 7 to Dec. 13 the 165,000 residents of Antelope Valley and its surrounding communities will have their water availability cut by 60 percent as the Quartz Hill Water Treatment Plant completely shuts down. As residents prepare for the water reduction, they’re being asked to adopt water conservation tactics to ease the burden on themselves and the community.  

This will certainly be a challenge for the residents of Antelope Valley and we want to be there to support them so why don’t we all challenge ourselves to reduce our water consumption starting Dec. 7? What we’ll all find, whether a resident of Antelope Valley or not, is that saving water is easy and before you know it, second nature. 

The real challenge for Antelope Valley residents will be maintaining their sudden water conservation effort. The plant upgrade is designed to increase production from 65 million gallons of water per day to 90 million gallons of water per day. That’s a big increase. Could you imagine the savings if the Antelope Valley residents, and all of us that saved along side them, stayed at the water levels that we adopted during the plant closure?  They savings would be gigantc!

So let’s make what started as a random water treatment plant upgrade, into a symbolic water conservation week. Click here for all of the tips you’ll need to conserve, or follow us on Twitter for daily tips. 

Also, as always, make sure to use our Facebook page as a place to update everyone on your results.

At its core Thanksgiving is about gathering with our closest family and friends to give thanks for things that we often take for granted. And it’s in that same spirit that this year we must all come together to recognize the ultimate resource that is often taking for granted – water.

So as you’re preparing your festive meal, trading family stories and indulging in the blissful gluttony that is Thanksgiving, we ask that you keep these simple water saving tips in mind:

• When washing dishes by hand, don’t let the water run while rinsing. Fill one sink with wash water and the other with rinse water.
• Use the garbage disposal sparingly. Compost vegetable food waste instead and save gallons every time.
• Wash your fruits and vegetables in a pan of water instead of running water from the tap.
• Designate one glass for your drinking water each day or refill a water bottle. This will cut down on the number of glasses to wash.
• Don’t use running water to thaw food. Defrost food in the refrigerator for water efficiency and food safety.

Just following these simple steps can greatly reduce your personal water consumption. Of course there is always more that you can do in the way of conservation, but where we’d really like your help is in spreading the word. So share your new tips with family and friends this week and even better document your Thanksgiving water saving effort on our Facebook page.

Snap a few pictures, take a little video, do anything you want to share your success and become an active member of the Water – Use It Wisely family.

Since it’s launch in 2000, Water – Use It Wisely has worked to provide individuals with easy tips and tricks to help them save water in their everyday lives.  Immediately the campaign worked.  What started as an Arizona-based initiative, soon blossomed into one of the largest water conservation efforts in the world, with partners all around the world rallying around the cause.    

Water – Use It Wisely worked because it provided simple solutions to a complex problem.  That’s still the goal, but as we re-launch the campaign in the coming months, our new goal is to increase participation.  Statistics and studies all point to the need for a significant movement to begin now.  

So, in the spirit of what we hope will grow into an international cooperative effort to conserve water between organizations and everyday people, we wanted to share some of our favorite resources for staying up to date on water conservation news. 

•  Water Conserve
•  LeakBird
•  TreeHugger
•  Water Conservation News and Tips
•  Nuprana.com
•  Waterblogged
•  WaterCrunch
•  water drop

With the help of like minded individuals like these and organizations that pledge to save water, we’re confident we can have a significant impact in getting the word out about this important issue.  But nothing is more important, or will be more effective, than everyday citizens taking a stand on water conservation and spreading the word to friends and family.  

So with that in mind, click here to get started. 

The web’s function as the world’s electronic card catalog system and its ocean of information is both its blessing and its bane.  So much info, so little time. As the new Water – Use It Wisely website strives to “give voice to water – YOUR voice,” we will cull through and direct you to the online sources we find to be the most helpful in communicating about water conservation.

One such blog is Water Words that Work.  Eric Ekl is an environmentalist and public relations & marketing consultant who has an exceptional track record as an environmental communicator.  Often, environmentalists are so passionate and fanatical about their mission that they lose credibility with their audience because of their overzelous actions and dialogue.  Eckl’s blog is a wonderful resource for powerful words and messaging that resonate with the public.

“Water Words That Work re-orients nature protection and pollution control experts to the vocabulary and perspective of everyday citizens, and helps you translate your shoptalk into messages that are clear and compelling to them.”

He gets a five water drop rating in my RSS library as a continuous source of terrific information on messaging about the environment, especially water.  Check him out.