California American Water offers WaterSmart Software Tool to all Residential Los Angeles and Ventura County Customers to Reduce Water Use During the Drought

CORONADO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--California American Water today announced a new program to assist Los Angeles and Ventura County customers reduce their water use during the drought. The program is a partnership with WaterSmart Software, a leading behavioral water efficiency platform that helps water utilities engage customers, improve operational efficiency and save money.

As part of the program, 33,700 residential water customers will begin receiving WaterSmart’s Home Water Reports. The reports detail each home’s water use and compares use to homes of similar size. Once customers understand their use and how it compares to their neighbors, they often realize they can conserve additional water. California American Water also has tools to help through rebates, free devices, household water use audits and tips for saving water.

“Our partnership with WaterSmart is just one of the ways we want to help customers reduce water use during this historic drought,” said Robert MacLean, President of California American Water. “The State Water Resources Control Board is asking for large reductions in use from our Los Angeles and Ventura County customers, so we are rolling this out there as one more tool to help them save water. In these times of extreme and persistent drought, it’s incumbent on all Californians to change the way they use water and we will continue to do our part to help customers understand how they use water and where they can reduce water use.”

In addition to receiving Home Water Reports, participating residents will also gain access to WaterSmart’s web and mobile customer portal, which provides additional personalized information about residents’ household water use as well as household specific water-saving recommendations.

“WaterSmart is delighted to partner with California American Water to bring our water-use monitoring software to the residents of southern California,” said Robin Gilthorpe, CEO of WaterSmart. “In times of ongoing population growth, global climate change and deferred infrastructure maintenance, improved water-use efficiency is more important than ever. The least expensive new source of water is the supply we already have, and better information at the fingertips of water utilities and end-users is the best way to enact change.”

Behavioral water efficiency has quickly become one of the most trusted water conservation methods in the industry, and WaterSmart’s platform for targeted customer communications and utility analytic insights is an established standard for deploying this innovative approach. The category was recently included in the California State Water Plan (http://www.waterplan.water.ca.gov) as the most highly recommended water conservation method.

WaterSmart’s technology is proven to triple customer engagement while improving water-use efficiency by as much as 5 percent. WaterSmart has 40 partnerships with water utilities throughout the United States and currently monitors the water use of over 2 million households.

California American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), provides high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to more than 600,000 people. Information regarding California American Water’s drought initiatives can be found at www.californiaamwater.com/drought.

Founded in 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company. With headquarters in Voorhees, N.J., the company employs 6,400 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to an estimated 15 million people in 47 states and Ontario, Canada. More information can be found at www.amwater.com.

WaterSmart Software helps water utilities educate and engage their customers to save water and money. WaterSmart offers a turnkey, cloud-based engagement, analytics, and behavioral water efficiency solution that helps utilities save water - up to 5 percent - in as little as twelve months. Come help us change the way the world uses water. For details visit: www.watersmart.com.