Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta

Bakers�eld

State Water Project

Suzie-Q’s Water Awareness Campaign

H

eroes of Water Conservation

High above a rooftop in Northeast Bakersfield,

Suzie-Q the squirrel was perched in a tree watching the

activities of the family living below. 1

So muchwasted water!

Suzie-Q, known to her friends as the Queen of Water Conservation, was shaking her head as she went down her water conservation checklist. “What a bunch of water wasters!” she exclaimed.

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“Don’t they know that they are overfilling their pool, watering their lawn during the heat of the day and have a leaky faucet? I am going down for a closer look.”

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Oh my!

Suzie-Q quietly slid down the tree and popped up on a windowsill to see if things could get any worse. Sadly, it was more of the same.

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Hurry up

,

sweetie!Suzie-Q watched as

a young girl left the water running while brushing her teeth and heard her mother say, “Annie, hurry up. You need to finish since you were in the shower for an hour.” Suzie-Q almost fell off of the windowsill. “These people have no idea how they are wasting such an important a resource,” she thought. 5

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“I wonder if Annie would look at water differently if she knew that it’s the same amount that was here when dinosaurs roamed the earth, yet there are billions more people who use it today,” thought Suzie-Q. “She could be drinking the same water as a T-Rex did in earth’s fantastic water cycle!”

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the water cycle

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“The sun heats the surface water and changes it from a liquid to a gas through a process called evaporation. As the water molecules move higher in the atmosphere, they begin to form clouds in the process of condensation. The water molecules become so heavy that they fall as precipitation and can freeze as a solid or run off as a liquid into rivers and streams.”

“Then when things heat up, the amazing process starts all over again. Only a small amount of earth’s water supply is fresh water so I must make them aware of water conservation!” Suzie-Q thought.

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Suzie-Q went back up into the tree and put on her fancy cape. She meant serious business! She grabbed her checklist and did a giant leap to ring the doorbell.

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(SHRIEK!)

When Annie opened the door and saw Suzie-Q, she let out a loud shriek! Annie’s dad and mom came running. They were all stunned when Suzie-Q said loudly, “The only thing shocking in this house is the amount of water being wasted!”

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They were so surprised to have a talking squirrel visit that they just listened as Suzie-Q pushed her way in saying, “If you didn’t know, Bakersfield is a desert region and water is precious. Not only do people need water, but plants and animals do too.”

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Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta

Bakers�eld

State Water Project

Suzie-Q added, “Much of our water comes from Northern California and has to travel hundreds of miles, yet you have been acting like there is an unlimited supply.”

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Annie’s dad said, “I know we aren’t perfect, but it can’t be all that bad.” “Want to bet?” Suzie-Q exclaimed, as she grabbed her conservation checklist and showed them that they had been wasting water in just about every category.

Annie’s mom said, “Suzie-Q, we are sorry to have gotten such bad marks. Can you tell us ways we can save water?” Suzie-Q smiled about as wide as a squirrel could and said, “That is music to my ears! Let’s go over a few tips on my checklist.”

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How to be WATER WISE1. Keep showers under 5 minutes. 2. Turn off the water while you brush your teeth.3. Fix leaky faucets and toilets!4. Encourage other family members and friends to develop and promote water conservation.5. Plant native drought-tolerant plants, and only water your lawn when needed and in the cool parts of the day.

Before Suzie-Q left, the family had all promised to put these tips into practice. They also promised to spread the word to others. Suzie-Q felt better knowing that more people were on her water awareness team to promote water conservation!

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Stories and activities developed by theKern County Water Agency.

For educational requests or for more information:Phone: 661-634-1400Email: info@kcwa.comwww.kcwa.com

Improvement District No. 4 (ID4) was formed by the Kern County Water Agency (Agency) in 1971 to act as the wholesale provider of a supplemental water supply for portions of the metropolitan Bakersfield area. Purified surface water is supplied to portions of the City of Bakersfield, unincorporated areas of Oildale, and other unincorporated sections of the northern and eastern urban Bakersfield area within ID4.

The Agency operates the Henry C. Garnett Water Purification Plant that delivers drinking water to the following purveyors:

California Water Service Company

City of Bakersfield

East Niles Community Services District

North of the River Municipal Water District (which wholesales to Oildale Mutual Water Company)

Heroes of Water Conservatio

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