Monrovia : City at Top in Water-Saving

By voluntarily turning off their taps, Monrovia residents became the San Gabriel Valley’s water conservation leaders over the hot summer months, city officials said.

Monrovia qualified for an $18,816 rebate from the Metropolitan Water District because of its average 10.80% savings in water consumption for June through September, compared to the same time period in 1989. So far, Monrovia is the only city water agency in the San Gabriel Valley to meet the 5% or more conservation requirement and qualify for a rebate, said Bob Berlien, general manager of the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District.

Monrovia Utilities Manager Paul Smith attributed much of the water savings to an aggressive city campaign which included 13,500 hand-delivered conservation kits, water displays and “Burma Shave”-style road signs that attracted national publicity.

The San Gabriel Valley Water Co., which serves a number of local communities, is the only other local agency to qualify, and it will receive a rebate of $15,400.