California American Water Celebrates Earth Day in its Ventura County Service District

In celebration of Earth Day, California American Water is continuing its call for water conservation by urging all of its Thousand Oaks and Camarillo customers to continue to limit their outdoor irrigation as the state faces the critically dry summer months. With the hot summer season upon us, California American Water is asking local residents to be mindful of their water use and to implement wise water use practices that will help protect the environment.

“Water conservation is an important part of being environmentally aware especially in Ventura County where our local water allocation has been reduced,” said Al Yañez, California American Water’s operations manager. “California American Water applauds our customers’ efforts in heeding the call to limit their water usage. I encourage all our Ventura County customers to continue to be mindful of their water use throughout the spring and summer with the same vigilance displayed this past winter.”

California American Water will host a water conservation booth at Amgen’s upcoming 10th annual Earth Day fair, Wednesday, April 20, 2011. Conservation experts will be on hand to answer questions and offer meaningful advice to customers interested in saving money on their water bill and conserving local water resources.

“California American Water is committed to helping our customers understand what they can do to help conserve our most precious resource,” said Yañez. “By following some simple easy-to-implement water conservation practices, people can reduce the amount of water used without drastically altering their daily routine or lifestyle.”

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 you hundreds of gallons of wasted water a month.
• Don’t allow water to runoff onto sidewalks, driveways or gutters. Use a broom instead of a hose to wash down paved surfaces.

California American Water offers free WaterWise 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. 7813.

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, Thousand Oaks, and the community of Newbury Park as well as unincorporated portions of Ventura County.

Founded in 1886, American Water is the largest publicly traded 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 15 million people in more than 30 states, as well as parts of Canada. More information can be found by visiting www.amwater.com.

In 2011, American Water is celebrating its 125th anniversary with a yearlong campaign to promote water efficiency and the importance of protecting water from source to tap. To learn more, visit www.amwater125.com.