ANAHEIM, CA - (May 10, 2012) - To kick off the month’s celebrations, the Mayor and City Council proclaimed May as Water Awareness Month at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. Water agencies throughout California, along with Anaheim Public Utilities, will be hosting a number of events to educate residents and businesses on the importance of water conservation and to celebrate their efforts for using water efficiently.

"The Anaheim community has been very responsive with their voluntary conservation efforts. Where other neighboring agencies decided to impose mandated water restrictions, Anaheim has been able to voluntarily save more than 30 billion gallons of water annually for the past five years—which is equivalent to the annual water use of nearly 20,000 single family residences,” said Anaheim Public Utilities General Manager Marcie Edwards.

Anaheim Public Utilities recently held its annual water conservation poster contest, and on Wednesday, May 16 Angels Baseball will recognize the winners during a pre-game ceremony. The 18 students from Anaheim elementary schools will proudly stand on the field at Angel Stadium of Anaheim to receive their trophies. The winning posters can also be seen in the lobby of Anaheim West Tower (201 S. Anaheim Blvd.) throughout this month.

A series of California friendly landscape workshops was offered free for residents interested in learning how to design and maintain beautiful water-efficient California-friendly and native gardens and landscapes.

This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) of Southern California’s Solar Cup™, the nation’s largest solar-boat competition. Anaheim high schools are open to compete in the construction and water race of a 16-foot, single-seat boat from concept to completion, powered only by solar energy stored in batteries. Anaheim Public Utilities will be sponsoring entries from Savannah and Anaheim High Schools as students race at MWD’s Lake Skinner reservoir in the Temecula Valley May 18-20.

Residents and business are encouraged to visit the Anaheim Public Utilities booth at the Downtown Anaheim Farmers Market on Thursday, May 24 from noon to 3 p.m. Staff will distribute free water conservation literature and giveaways. To learn more about events taking place throughout Water Awareness Month, visit anaheim.net/utilities.

Media Contact: Ruth Ruiz 714.765.5060more city news

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ABOUT ANAHEIM – The City of Anaheim, founded in 1857, is one of the nation's premier municipalities and is one of California's most populous cities. Anaheim covers 50 square miles with more than 343,000 residents and more than 2,950 City employees. The municipal corporation's annual budget is $1.5 billion. Anaheim supports a thriving business community with companies such as Carl Karcher Enterprises, Inc., L-3 Communications, Pacific Sunwear, and Disneyland Resort. Successful sports franchises call Anaheim home, including Angels Baseball, Anaheim Ducks, the U.S. Men's National Volleyball Team, the 2012 Olympic Games Silver Medal winning U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team, and the Professional Arena Soccer League Anaheim Bolts. Anaheim also boasts world-class meeting and entertainment venues with the Anaheim Convention Center, LEED-certified and the largest on the west coast, Honda Center, City National Grove of Anaheim, Anaheim GardenWalk, and Angel Stadium of Anaheim. In addition, Anaheim embraces its vibrant cultural arts community, including the world-renowned Anaheim Ballet. Annually, Anaheim welcomes millions of visitors to the city, truly making it where the world comes to live, work and play. For more information, please visit www.anaheim.net.

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