A big congratulations are in order for Coachella valley businesses and residents. CV Water Counts, a non-profit organization that focuses on water conservation is reporting the Coachella Valley has saved more than 60 billion gallons of water over the past six years.

“These are our savings since the 2015 drought mandate that first came, and just last year we actually hit the 50 billion gallons saved milestone, and so within a one year period we’ve added an additional 10 billion gallons,” said Victoria Llort, Programs and Public Affairs Manager with Mission Springs Water District.

Non-profit, CV Water Counts is reporting that the collaborative effort of the Coachella Valley’s six water agencies has done an incredible job in conserving water since 2015.

“Regionally, I just want to compare it really quickly to the Salton Sea, that equates to about 1/40, which seems small, but if you think about it, we’re heading into the Olympics season as well, so 60 billion gallons also equates to almost 91,000 Olympic sized swimming pools,” explained Llort.

CV Water counts, contributing this great feat to the many who have made permanent water-saving changes.

“We have turf or grass conversion programs to a desert-friendly landscape, we have appliances such as your laundry washer, or your toilets, or other fixtures within your house that are actually consuming more than you might think. and so swapping those out with a WaterSense EPA label approved item does result in great water savings,” explained Llort.

The Coachella Valley Water District explains how a long-term plan has saved enough water for years to come.

“When I say long-term I mean 40 or 50 years. We look at how we are going to supply enough water to meet the demand of our customers, residences, businesses, and agriculture,” said Katie Evans, Director of Communication and Conservation with Coachella Valley Water District.

And with 2020 being the third driest year on record, many may start to look to the Coachella Valley as an example of how to conserve.

“We import water from other areas and we put that water back into the ground, 100% of our domestic water which is residential or commercial use, gets pumped out of the ground for use. So in wet years, we are able to take extra water and put it in the ground,” said Evans.

Coachella Valley Reaches Water Conservation Milestone