Here in Southern California, droughts are a way of life. The most recent drought, which lasted nearly eight years, was broken by an exceptionally wet winter in 2019. The state’s reservoirs were full to the brim, and it looked like we were out of the woods for a while.

Well, that didn’t last very long. It’s 2021 and we’re back in a drought again. This year, we’ve been hotter and drier than in many previous years.  Reservoirs that are filled by the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada, which was already below normal levels, are evaporating water more quickly. According to the University of California-Davis, the state’s 1,500-plus reservoirs are 50% lower than they should be this time of year.

Everyone knows that water is essential for life, but here in California, it is also vital to our farming economy as well as providing electrical power. With low water levels across the state, it can severely limit how much power can be generated from hydroelectric power plants.  This could lead to power outages during the summer, when the demand for electricity is at its peak, providing among other things, air conditioning to vulnerable populations.

California Section, Customer of the Year for 2021.

Now more than ever, water conservation is a top priority for all Southern Californians. It is something we take very seriously at Forest Lawn. For decades, we have been committed to the responsible use of this precious resource. Some of the many measures we’ve taken to conserve water include using recycled water to irrigate the grounds, wherever possible, landscaping with drought-tolerant plants wherever possible, installing sensor-activated faucets, low flow toilets, and waterless urinals in our buildings, making our irrigation systems to be even more water-efficient, and using technology and scientific data to help us irrigate with maximum precision. In fact, for all these efforts, Forest Lawn has been nominated by The  Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts) for their WateReuse Association,

With all our water-saving measures in place, we look forward to welcoming families to our parks for their reflection, visitation, and enjoyment for generations to come.

If you’re looking for a good resource for water-saving tips, check out  https://water.ca.gov/Water-Basics/Conservation-Tips.  Together we can all do our part to conserve.