Posted: August 4, 2025
By Ken Jenkins, Vice President, Water Resources Planning and Sustainability
With summer in full swing, now is a perfect time to think about how we can all do our part to conserve water. Every drop saved helps build a more resilient water future for our communities, especially as we navigate the impacts caused by our changing climate. For California Water Service (Cal Water), this means conservation is not a reactive measure, but rather a foundational pillar of our commitment to provide safe, reliable water to more than two million Californians each day.
Cal Water is here to help both residential and commercial customers save water every day through our conservation programs, especially during summer—when water use and demand can spike. From our Smart Landscape Tune-Up program to residential conservation kits, we provide tools and information to support our customers’ conservation goals. We also engage directly with the communities we serve through events such as our Plant Local Adopt-A-Plant pop-ups, where we share valuable water-saving knowledge and highlight programs like Lawn-to-Garden, a turf replacement rebate—ideal for reducing summer watering needs. Direct interactions with our customers are crucial for us to understand their unique needs and provide the resources necessary to help them make water-wise decisions.
Investing in conservation and rebate programs is part of our core strategy in achieving climate resiliency. In 2024, we invested over $2 million to directly benefit our customers through programs such as indoor and outdoor rebates, conservation kits, and our Smart Landscape Tune-Up program. Through these programs, we estimate customers will save more than 450 million gallons over the lifetime of the devices and support provided. This is a testament to all of our communities working together to save water every day.
While our customers’ summer conservation efforts are vital, Cal Water is also working diligently behind the scenes to support the reliable delivery of safe, clean water and implement water-wise internal processes—key efforts amidst our unpredictable climate.
- Diversifying Water Sources: We’re committed to increasing the use of recycled water in our operations, aiming for no less than 5% of total water supply by 2035. In 2024, we reported 2.5% usage of recycled water for landscaping, irrigation, and industrial uses.
- Meeting State Targets: We completed our compliance assessment in 2024 and are implementing our plan to meet water-use targets mandated by the State of California for our communities, through the continuation and expansion of our ongoing conservation programs.
- Investing in Resilient Infrastructure: We’re also continuously investing in infrastructure and reducing water loss within our own systems. In 2024, Cal Water replaced 36 miles of water main across our districts. Additionally, our robust asset management, proactive leak detection, and repair efforts help make every drop count.
These are just some of our efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change and build a sustainable water future for California. Our continued investment in climate solutions helps protect our planet and positions Cal Water to keep delivering safe, clean, reliable tap water for years to come.
To learn more, visit calwatergroup.com/sustainability.
