Politics & Government

Mission Viejo Rated Best Water Savers in OC

The Sierra Club's recent survey found Mission Viejo was one of only two Orange County cities with water-conservation policies warranting a "best" rating.

Maybe it was the . Or maybe it was Mayor Dave Leckness's to other cities.

Or maybe it was an ongoing effort by city staff and city leaders to conserve water. Either way, it's now official: Mission Viejo has the best water-conservation policies in Orange County, according to the Angeles chapter of the Sierra Club.

On Monday, the club released its rating of all the incorporated cities in Orange and Los Angeles counties. Mission Viejo was one of only two in Orange County to score a "best" rating, the other being the small city La Palma.

Find out what's happening in Mission Viejowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Most other Orange County cities scored a "good" rating.

A few cities, like Santa Ana, Fullerton and Huntington Beach,  were rated "poor."

Find out what's happening in Mission Viejowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

How they were scored

The club looked at city water policies over the last decade. They looked for things like efficient irrigation requirements, tough flush toilet standards and prohibitions on ornamental, recreational and inessential water use.

For a complete list of the standards studied, click here.

said Mission Viejo stands above other cities in its attempt to get kids excited about water conservation.

"This is our planet," he said. "We've got to take care of it, and it starts early. It's tough to get someone who's 50 to start conserving. It's just tough.

"We need to teach our kids that this is how we do it. We just don't waste water anymore. Water is becoming so important to all of our lives that we have to teach kids you don't just run the sprinkler or leave the water on while you brush your teeth."


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