Upper District Honored By U.S. EPA

WaterSense Partner of the Year Award for the Second Consecutive Year
The Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District was honored as the 2020 WaterSense Partner of the Year for its efforts in tackling water waste and promoting WaterSense products throughout the San Gabriel Valley. This is the second year Upper District has received this national honor by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its innovative conservation programs and effective community outreach.

Upper District’s noteworthy efforts included initiating a collaborative effort to translate some of WaterSense’s materials into Mandarin. Upper District also engaged the commercial sector through water-smart landscape equipment retrofits and offering new workshops on finding and fixing leaks for San Gabriel Valley businesses. Financial incentives for WaterSense labeled products in Upper District’s service area included rebates for approximately 400 tank-type toilets, over 200 flush valve toilets, and nearly 400 weather-based irrigation controllers.

In keeping with its innovative leadership, Upper District introduced a Residential Plant Voucher Program that provided 175 vouchers, each redeemable for up to $250, to encourage homeowners to choose native, climate-appropriate plants to create attractive landscapes that require less frequent watering.

New Conservation Contest Starts Next Week
The Board of Directors are bringing WaterFest to you! While unable to host the District’s annual WaterFest, we are hosting an online conservation contest starting Monday, October 26th. All Upper District residents will have the opportunity to participate in weekly raffle giveaways by answering short conservation quizzes. To enter the free contest, quizzes will be posted on our social media platforms over the course of 5-weeks and announced on Thursdays by one of our Board Directors via a “WaterSmart Minute” segment. Don't miss out on winning these weekly prizes that range from water-use efficiency home and garden devices, Discovery Science Cube family packs, $250 native plant vouchers, high-efficiency washing machines and more! Visit the Conserve-a-Palooza page here.

Rule #1: Don't prune your trees like lollipops. Prune them to look natural.
"Pruning your Trees and Shrubs" is the third video in Upper District's Gardening Tips Video Series. Rather than cutting your trees like round lollipops, prune them to look natural and always use caution when pruning dead branches. Access the video by clicking below.

If you missed the first two gardening videos, no need to worry just click the images below. Learn new tips to keep your gardens growing.

Oh, kale yeah!
A NEW activity sheet is out and was inspired by Upper District’s successful Edible Gardening virtual classes. Download the "Romaine Calm and Garden On" Word Search by clicking below

Piper the "Recycled Water Drop"
Recycled water has been a key part of Upper District's overall strategy of supplementing local water supplies and replenishing the groundwater basin. As part of Upper District's water reuse efforts, a new activity sheet, Piper the Recycled Water Drop, has been created for students to learn more about water. Download below and find additional Upper District activity sheets in the teacher tool kit.

About Upper District

Upper District’s mission is to consistently meet our region’s need for reliable, high quality and affordable water; including water conservation, recycled water, storm water capture, storage, water transfers and imported water. Upper District services nearly one million people in its 144 square mile service territory. Governed by a five-member elected board of directors, Upper District is a member agency of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Annually, more than 78 billion gallons of water is used in Upper District’s service area. For 60 years, Upper District has been a leader in water stewardship and water conservation.