Big Bear City, CA, February 13, 2014 – Last month, Gov. Jerry Brown declared a drought emergency. Now Caltrans is launching an unprecedented conservation campaign on California highways, targeting the state’s 24 million drivers. Over 700 electronic highway signs went up this week displaying the message:
SERIOUS DROUGHT
HELP SAVE WATER
The signs will be activated when there are no critical traffic safety messages or Amber Alerts. Caltrans itself is about to cut its irrigation activities by at least half, and using recycled water for irrigation.
The California Department of Water Resources measures the water content of the snow pack each month to determine the state’s water supply for the year. Snow provides about a third of the water for California’s homes and farms as it melts into streams, reservoirs and aquifers. On January 30th, measurements showed the water content level was 12% of average for this time of year. That is the driest ever recorded at this time of year.
Governor Brown has called on all Californians to voluntarily reduce their water usage by 20 percent. To calculate your water usage at home and get tons of tips on conserving, visit www.saveourh20.org
