Burbank ranks in top 5 water-saving cities

Burbank was one of just five cities in Los Angeles and Orange counties to get top scores from the Sierra Club for enacting regulations and programs aimed at conserving water.

In the report released today, the Sierra Club Los Angeles Chapter gave Burbank an overall “best” rating, along with Los Angeles, La Verne, Mission Viejo and La Palma.

Glendale and La Canada Flintridge rated three points behind, landing them near the upper end of the “good” category.

The Sierra Club took several criteria into account in drafting their rankings, including ordinances that address “appropriate water use, avoid water waste, improve building standards, and prescribe water-efficient business practices.”

The rankings were intended to drive more cities to adopt the more strict standards of their peers at the top-end of the list, according to the group.

”Water conservation ordinances and sustainable water policies are among the most cost-effective means for cities to address declining water supplies,” Charming Evelyn, who heads the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter Water Committee, said in a statement.

FOR THE RECORD: An earlier version incorrectly stated that Manhattan Beach rated as “best.”