Do you have a beautiful water-efficient garden?

If so, the City of Sacramento, the Regional Water Authority (RWA) and its partner agencies are looking for you!

The Regional Water Authority (RWA), City of Sacramento Department of Utilities and other local water providers invite Sacramento-area residents to show off their “Blue Thumb” by staring in its new television and radio advertising campaign promoting water efficiency.

“We’ve all heard of ‘Green Thumb,’ which is often used to describe someone who has a natural skill for gardening,” said RWA Water Efficiency Program Manager Linda Higgins. “Our campaign will showcase people who have a ‘Blue Thumb’—a talent for creating a beautiful water-efficient landscape.”

The campaign will feature residents in their own garden talking about how they earned their Blue Thumb by using water efficiently outdoors through every-day tasks such as making sure sprinklers water the lawn instead of the sidewalk, adjusting their irrigation system according to the season or using a shut-off valve on their hose.

“In the Sacramento region, more than half of the urban water used is for landscape irrigation,” Higgins said. “Making sure landscape irrigation is efficient and eliminating water waste outdoors are two of the most cost-effective ways to stretch our limited water supplies and ensure that we continue to have sufficient water for the Sacramento region to prosper.”

RWA invites residents to nominate themselves, a neighbor or someone they know who has a beautiful, water-efficient landscape to be showcased in the public service campaign. A water-wise landscape uses efficient irrigation, seasonal scheduling and efficient design to ensure water is not wasted.

“We know through research that Sacramento-area residents care about water efficiency—even when our local rivers, streams and creeks appear full,” Higgins said. “We are looking for people who are ready take a stand and say, ‘We care about the Sacramento region. We know water efficiency is important to the health of our community, as well as the health of our local rivers creeks and streams. We take care to water our landscape as efficiently as possible, and you can too.’”

While a garden full of native or drought-tolerant plants is a plus, the campaign will highlight the every-day best practices people use to keep their landscape both water wise and beautiful. Examples include:

• Making sure sprinkler timers are set according to the season and local watering guidelines.
• Adjusting sprinklers and watering times to prevent overspray and runoff.
• Fixing water-wasting problems in the irrigation system quickly.
• Using a shut-off valve on a hose nozzle.
• Using a broom instead of water to clean driveways, patios and sidewalks.
• Checking the irrigation system every month for leaks and broken sprinkler heads.

To qualify to participate in the campaign, residents must receive water from one of the local water providers who participate in the RWA Water Efficiency Program (see list below). For more information and to download a nomination form, please visit www.rwah2o.org

Nomination/entry forms will be accepted through February 22, 2010. RWA’s water efficiency campaign will launch in April and run through August 2010.

RWA is a joint powers authority representing 19 water providers in the greater Sacramento area. Its primary mission is to help its members protect and enhance the reliability, availability, affordability and quality of water resources.
RWA Water Efficiency Program Participants:

California American Water
Carmichael Water District
Citrus Heights Water District
City of Folsom
City of Lincoln
City of Roseville
City of Sacramento Department of Utilities
City of West Sacramento
El Dorado County Irrigation District
Elk Grove Water Service
Fair Oaks Water District
Golden State Water Company
Orange Vale Water Company
Placer County Water Agency
Rio Linda/Elverta Community Water District
Sacramento County Water Agency
Sacramento Suburban Water District
San Juan Water District