Newport wants residents to reduce their water use

Newport Beach is asking residents to voluntarily reduce water use by 10% to help conserve water and potentially stave off mandatory water use restrictions next year.

After two consecutive years of below-average rainfall, very low snowmelt runoff in Northern California, a prolonged drought in the Colorado River basin, and environmental issues in the San Joaquin Delta, conserving water is essential to sustaining California’s water supplies, according to city officials.

There are no mandatory water use restrictions in Newport Beach, but city officials are encouraging residents and businesses to reduce the amount of water they use inside and outside.

Practical ways to conserve water include covering pools and spas to slow evaporation; using brooms to clean outside areas instead of spraying them down; adjusting landscape irrigation according to weather conditions and watering no more than once every three to four days; and setting irrigation controls to only water landscapes for brief periods between 5 p.m. and 8 a.m., according to the Newport Beach Utilities Department.

Newport Beach offers several water use efficiency programs for residential and commercial appliances and devices. For more information about the programs or water conservation, call (949) 644-3214 or visit www.watersmartnewport.org.

The city is also a co-sponsor of the Water Innovation Now contest, a partnership between UCI, UNESCO, and the Orange County Department of Education.

The contest challenges students from kindergarten through 12th grade to create presentations via PowerPoint, video or poster board that demonstrate innovative solutions to the water crisis.

Contest entries are due Oct. 31.

Contest details, including a list of prizes, are available at win.ocde.us.

— Brianna Bailey