INLAND EMPIRE, CA – During the Inland Empire Utilities Agency’s (IEUA/Agency) May Board Workshop, IEUA staff commemorated the 20th anniversary of the Agency’s water-use efficiency programs. Staff were joined by regional partners and legislative representatives, all of whom play a critical role in implementing and supporting water-use efficiency programs throughout the region.
“The success of our water-use efficiency programs relies on successful collaboration. Our regional partnerships have aided in the development of programs that show real water savings,” stated IEUA Board President Marco Tule.
Through a combination of rebates and direct install services, the Agency’s Water-Use Efficiency team has successfully deployed over 400,000 high-efficiency sprinkler nozzles, 50,000 high-efficiency toilets, 25,000 high-efficiency clothes washers, 13,000 weather-based irrigation controllers, and 1,000 rain barrels since inception.
Additionally, since 2003, the Agency has contributed towards the removal of over nine million square feet of turf through various projects and is soon expected to retrofit its one-millionth square foot of turf since the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s reintroduction of the Turf Replacement Rebate Program in 2018.
Other achievements include the implementation of a Water-Use Efficiency Data Dashboard, providing the Agency’s retailers with a user-friendly, graphical interface for tracking water-use efficiency programs designed to deliver data transparency, as well as the receipt of the Irrigation Association’s 2022 Smart Water Applications Technologies Outstanding Industry Partnership Award for the popular Residential Small Site Controller Upgrade Program.
“The Agency’s water-use efficiency contributions have helped save the region approximately 150,000 acre-feet of water, enough to fill roughly 150,000 football fields with one foot of water each,” continued Tule. “Such efforts are the true embodiment of the Agency’s mission and could not have been achieved without the collaboration of our many partners. I send my sincerest appreciation and congratulations to the Water-Use Efficiency team and its partners on each of their accomplishments.”