It's never too early to start conserving water

May is National Water Awareness Month, a good time to reduce water use.

"Water is a precious, limited resource; considering the fact that we just had the fourth driest winter on record and the Sierra snow pack is 71 percent below normal, our customers' conservation efforts are more important than ever," said Don Jensen, district manager of local water provider, California Water Service Company.

According to Jensen, every drop of savings adds up:

+Repair a slow-dripping leaky faucet to save 15 gallons per day.

+Turning off the faucet while brushing teeth can save 240 gallons per month.

+Shortening showers by five minutes could reduce water use by 3,500 gallons per month.

+Replacing a 5gallonperflush toilet with a 1.6gallonperflush model can save 22,000 gallons of water per year.

+Replacing an old washing machine with a high-efficiency machine can save 20 to 30 gallons per load.

+Landscaping with native plants can reduce outdoor water consumption by 20 to 50 percent.

For conservation and rebates information, visit www.calwater.com.

Cal Water serves about 25,000 people through 7,400 service connections in Thousand Oaks and Westlake Village.