Water district pushing conservation message

The Mesa Water District is reaching out to the estimated 40,000 households in its district as part of a new water-saving campaign.

The campaign, whose slogan is “Let’s do ourselves a favor. Be a water saver,” aims to reduce daily residential water use by 20 gallons or more per person, according to a news release. The districtwide effort began last month and is scheduled to continue through January or longer, depending on drought conditions.

“California’s drought is serious and may continue or worsen in 2015,” said Justin Finch, Mesa Water’s resource efficiency specialist. “Although winter weather is here, the drought remains an issue due to three consecutive years of dry and warmer-than-average weather.”

Outreach efforts will include bilingual bill inserts, door hangers, phone calls, postcards, two billboards on Newport Boulevard, social media postings and home visits to ratepayers.

Officials are stressing “three Ls” for water conservation: loads, lawns and leaks. This means washing full laundry loads on a quick cycle, watering the lawn only once a week and checking for leaks throughout the house, including the toilet.

Though Mesa Water officials say their service area — Costa Mesa and portions of Newport Beach and unincorporated county land — has enough water, they nonetheless encourage conservation indoors and outdoors.

Last year, amid the statewide drought, the district experienced growing interest in its turf removal program and other water-efficient ideas, like replacing aging sprinklers.

For more information, visit https://www.mesawatersaver.org or call (949) 207-5514.