Upper District Celebrates Water Awareness Month with the Community by Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District Jun 13, 2024 Member Submitted News MONROVIA – The Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District (Upper District) hosted its annual community festival, WaterFest, on May 11, 2024. For the first time, WaterFest was held in the spring, coinciding with Water Awareness Month. WaterFest featured interactive educational booths, environmental displays, informative presentations and resources, free water-saving materials, and more. This free one-day event highlights water as a precious resource and the importance of conservation. Upper District has partnered with the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation for over 15 years to provide this educational and family fun-filled event for all ages. Focused on water conservation and community education, WaterFest offered valuable resources through 40 engaging exhibitor booths, such as free one-on-one landscape design consultations, demonstration gardens, and informative displays on the local watershed, groundwater, benefits of bees, and mosquito control methods. Community members received water-themed Lotería cards, a bingo-style game, featuring water-saving tips and local ecosystem facts. As they visited various exhibitor booths, guests learned about the participating organizations, and collected stamps for a chance to win raffle prizes. WaterFest also showcased student artwork from the “Being Water Wise Is…” art contest, inviting community members to vote for their favorite piece. “May is Water Awareness Month and it made sense to move our event to the Spring and provided residents with the education that will empower them to be water wise at home as we enter into the hottest months of the year,” said Board President Jennifer Santana. She expressed her gratitude to local dignitaries who attended WaterFest stating they served as an example to our community that protecting our water resources is a priority for everyone. Local dignitaries in attendance included Assemblymember Mike Fong, Mayor April Verlato of the City of Arcadia, Mercy Santoro, Deputy Director for the East Agency of the County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation, and various city council members from Upper District’s service area. ### Upper District’s mission is to consistently meet our region’s need for reliable, high quality and affordable water; including water conservation, recycled water, storm water capture, storage, water transfers and imported water. Upper District services nearly one million people in its 144 square mile service territory. Governed by a five-member elected board of directors, Upper District is a member agency of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Annually, more than 78 billion gallons of water is used in Upper District’s service area. For over 60 years, Upper District has been a leader in water stewardship and water conservation.
