Being Water Efficient with Creative Landscapes!
Riverside, Calif. – A beautiful yard truly inspired by Southern California’s semi-arid desert climate shouldn’t use a lot of water, and a number of Inland Empire residents recently celebrated at Western Municipal Water District to attest to it. This was the scene at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 31, when a group of Inland Empire water agencies recognized finalists at their 2014 Western Water-wise Landscape Contest. From an entry pool of nearly 50 that included residents from Riverside and San Bernardino counties, landscapes were judged to the theme, “Less Water Can be Beautiful”.
The grand prize winners were chosen to best reflect the theme through design, overall neatness and influential beauty. They were:
• Merrill and Peggy Darlington, Riverside (Western Municipal Water District); 1st Place ($1,000)
• Mark Glaser, Riverside (Western Municipal Water District); 2nd Place ($800)
• Jay Finnell, Temecula (Rancho California Water District); 3rd Place ($600)
Regional winners (each receiving $500) include:
• Lauren Feldhaus, Corona (Corona Department of Water and Power)
• Garby Elmore, Hemet (Eastern Municipal Water District)
• Ronald Talbot, Murrieta (Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District)
• Bob and Susie Hagadorn, Ontario (City of Ontario)
• Louis James, Grand Terrace (Riverside Highland Water Company) Laura Afansev, Riverside
(Riverside Public Utilities)
• Paul Clement, Upland (City of Upland)
Since 2009, a collaboration of local water-providers serving customers in western Riverside and San Bernardino counties have offered the contest, promoting it to approximately four million Inland Empire residents to encourage water-wise landscape conversion that yields millions of gallons of water saved every day.
The partnering agencies are City of Corona, Eastern Municipal Water District, Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District, Inland Empire Utilities District, Ontario Municipal Utilities, Rancho California Water District, Riverside Highland Water Company, Riverside Public Utilities, City of Upland, San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District and Western Municipal Water District.
Western Municipal Water District provides water supply, wastewater disposal and water resource management to the public in a safe, reliable, environmentally sensitive and financially responsible manner.
