Word has leaked out: Water conservation is now mandatory
Last summer following the driest Southern California winter on record, the only thing louder than the crackling of dry twigs was the deafening silence surrounding water conservation. Recent rain has alleviated the drought somewhat, but the need to conserve water is still great.

To the credit of water agencies, in the wake of water shortages in the 1990s, a greater emphasis was made to increase storage capacity and provide reclaimed water for irrigating parks, greenbelts and golf courses.

Flooding the market with reclaimed (recyled) water paid dividends from the very beginning. It reduced the wasteful practice of using drinking water for irrigation. Moreover, reclaimed water provides nutrients that can be helpful to many plants.

But due to the lack of a sufficient delivery system and other factors, the water used for residential lawns and gardens must be potable, not recycled water. (Unfortunately, landscaping can eat up approximately 70 percent of a homeowner's monthly water bill.)

Dwindling potable supplies are shipped to Southern California from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, which was hit this year with a state-mandated cutback. The Las Virgenes Municipal Water District has answered by imposing conservation measures locally. (See story on page one.)

Logic tells us that saving water always makes sense.

Here are a few simple things everyone can do:

•Fix leaky faucets or malfunctioning toilets. It's amazing how much water is lost one drop at a time.

•Check sprinklers to make sure they're working properly and operating at night to minimize evaporation.

•Don't leave the faucet on while shaving or brushing your teeth. •Use less water in the bathtub and take shorter showers.

•Replace old toilets and showerheads with low flow models.

•When it's time to replace clothes washers or dishwashers, invest in models that use less water.

•Last but not least, do not overirrigate your lawn.

Saving water always makes good sense because we live in an arid climate where virtually all of our water is imported from somewhere else.

If people voluntarily reduce their water consumption today, it could help to prevent more stringent controls later on.