Water Awareness Month started as a joint effort between the State Department of Water Resources and the Association of California Water Agencies during the California Drought of 1987-1992. Today, water agencies throughout the state continue to use Water Awareness Month to deliver the message of water conservation.

This year more than ever, Californians are aware of the need to conserve water. The Governor has declared a state of emergency in response to the statewide drought – but how many of us really understand what a “drought” is? In essence, a drought is defined as a period of below normal precipitation (rain, snow, and hail).

California receives most of its precipitation from storms that move across the Pacific Ocean. This past winter, a persistent high pressure zone planted itself off the west coast. According to the National Weather Service, the high pressure zone was estimated to be four miles high and 2,000 miles in length. The higher pressure zone pushed winter storms away from California, resulting in below average precipitation.

Throughout the month of May, the City of Turlock will be participating in Water Awareness Month and we hope to provide you with useful information, ideas, tips, and resources for conserving water. In the following weeks, we will share indoor and outdoor water conservation strategies for your home and workplace. Also, in the first week of June you will find a variety of useful tools and resources on the City of Turlock Municipal Services Department website at http://ci.turlock.ca.us/citydepartments/municipalservices/.

WATER CONSERVATION TIP #4

Aerators save water:

 The most effective and inexpensive way to reduce your faucet use is by retrofitting your faucet with a low-flow faucet aerator on all your household faucets. Some aerators can restrict flow to less than 1.0 gallons per minute (gpm).

— Brought to you by the City of Turlock Municipal Services Department.