As Summer Season Begins, California American Water Urges Conservation in its Ventura County Service District

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., July 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- As warmer weather and longer and drier days set in, California American Water is encouraging its Ventura County service district customers to be particularly mindful of their water consumption – especially outdoors.

"Water consumption generally reaches its peak in July or August.  This is the time of year that we see a dramatic increase in water use, which is clearly the result of warmer summer weather.  Most of the increased use is attributable to outdoor water use by residential customers," said Al Yanez, California American Water's operations manager.

According to the EPA's WaterSense program, peak water usage in the average American home spikes to 1,000 gallons per day, compared to 260 gallons during an off-peak day.

California American Water has made it a priority to help its Ventura County customers reduce their water use by providing them with the necessary programs and resources to help them save money on their water bill and protect the environment.  Some simple suggestions to conserve water include:

• Water no more than two days a week during the summer months.
• Water before 9 a.m. and after 5 p.m. to prevent water evaporation.  
• Limit watering to 15 minutes outdoors each day per station.  Use a weather based controller to prevent overwatering during wet weather.
• Use a hose nozzle with a shut off valve while washing your vehicles.
• Turn off decorative water features unless they re-circulate water.
• Repair your leaks immediately.  This could save hundreds of gallons of wasted water a month.  
• Avoid water waste by doing your best to limit water use while doing yard work.  Don't allow water to runoff onto sidewalks, driveways or gutters.  Use a broom instead of a hose to wash down paved surfaces.
• Pick up free water-saving shower heads, hose nozzles and faucet aerators at our local office.

California American Water offers free Water Wise residential and non-residential surveys, rebates on water-saving appliances, leak detection kits for toilets and other conservation tools and ideas.  Customers can sign-up for these services by stopping by California American Water's local office located at 2439 West Hillcrest Drive, Newbury Park, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., or by calling 805-498-1266, ext. 7815.

California American Water, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), provides high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 600,000 people.  California American Water's Ventura County service district includes approximately 20,000 households and businesses and serves a population of approximately 60,000 in the cities of Camarillo, Newbury Park and Thousand Oaks as well as unincorporated portions of Ventura County.

Founded in 1886, American Water is the largest investor-owned U.S. water and wastewater utility company.  With headquarters in Voorhees, N.J., the company employs more than 7,000 dedicated professionals who provide drinking water, wastewater and other related services to approximately 16 million people in 35 states, as well as Ontario and Manitoba, Canada. More information can be found by visiting www.amwater.com.

SOURCE California American Water