Don't be a drip: stop overusing the water

May is National Water Awareness Month, a good time to look for ways to reduce water use.

"Water is a precious, limited resource. Considering the fact that we just had the fourth driest winter on record and the Sierra snow pack is 71 percent below normal, our customers' conservation efforts are more important than ever," said Don Jensen, district manager of local water provider California Water Service Company.

Here are some tips:

+Repairing a slowdripping leaky faucet can save 15 gallons per day.

+Turning off the faucet while brushing teeth can save 240 gallons per month.

+Shortening showers by five minutes could reduce water use by 3,500 gallons per month.

+Replacing a 5gallonperflush toilet with a 1.6gallonper-flush model can save 22,000 gallons of water per year. +Replaing an old washing machine with a high-efficiency machine can save 20 to 30 gallons per load.

+Landscaping with native plants can reduce outdoor water usage by 20 to 50 percent.

Cal Water serves about 25,000 people through 7,400 service connections in Thousand Oaks and Westlake.