UPDATE 7/17/15 1:35PM | Long Beach Water has cancelled the Mission H2O LB Kickoff Event scheduled for Saturday, July 18th at Promenade Square due to the power outages in the downtown vicinity. The event was scheduled to take place from 11:00AM to 3:00PM.
Click here to find out more details about MissionH2OLB.
PREVIOUSLY: AVI BUFFALO, BEARCOON to Play Long Beach Water Conservation Kickoff Event Saturday
This Saturday, the Long Beach Water Department (LBWD) will kick off its Mission H2O LB conservation campaign at Downtown Long Beach’s Promenade Square, from 11:00AM to 3:00PM.
In addition to performances by Avi Buffalo, Bearcoon—in their last local performance before they leave for a national tour—and other artists, the event will dedicate time to speeches by Mayor Robert Garcia, the LBWD’s Gloria Cordero and Kevin Wattier and the State Water Resources Control Board’s Frances Spivey-Weber, according to a release issued Tuesday.
“Mission H2O LB is a call to action that sets a challenge for our community to meet the Governor’s mandate while also creating a permanent lifestyle change in how we use water,” said President of the Board of Water Commissioners Harry Saltzgaver in a statement. “The event and broader campaign calls on all residents to take the challenge.”
“I’m proud of Long Beach’s water conservation efforts and excited to be a part of the Mission H2O LB Kickoff Event,” said Mayor Robert Garcia in a statement. “I’m ready to take the pledge, along with the rest of Long Beach, to conserve water through my daily activities. We can all contribute—let’s join the mission and continue this strong momentum!”
The Mission H2O LB Kickoff Event will be hosted at First Street and The Promenade North. Residents will be encouraged to take a pledge to change specific daily activities to contribute to water conservation by writing their pledge on the “Pledge Wall” in Promenade Square.
“Long Beach needs to sustain its record-breaking levels of water conservation for the remaining hot summer months ahead of us,” said LBWD General Manager Kevin Wattier in a statement. “We all need to remember that small water conserving actions by everyone in the community lead to big results.”
The StuffNit Burgers and ShareMii food trucks will be on site, offering burgers and ice cream concoctions to hungry participants pledging their commitment to water conservation.
The Mission H2O LB event and campaign was spearheaded by the LBWD, in response to Gov. Jerry Brown’s State of Emergency Declaration and push to curb water use by 25 percent statewide by the end of the year. Long Beach has been required to decrease its use by 16 percent.
Last month, the LBWD announced that in the first month of California’s mandatory water usage reporting period, the City of Long Beach exceeded its assigned conservation mark of 16 percent, reducing its water usage from last June by 19 percent. This came after the LBWD delcared a Stage II Water Shortage Declaration, decreasing the allowed watering days from three times per week in the summer months to twice weekly year round.
To learn more about Mission H2O LB, visit lbwater.org.