West Valley Water District (WVWD) celebrated Earth Day with a celebration and open house on Saturday, April 22, drawing over 1,000 local residents, vendors, and elected officials to its headquarters in Rialto.
During the free event, attendees visited booths hosted by various WVWD departments to learn about water conservation, the water treatment process, and potential careers in the water industry.
“At West Valley Water District, we truly believe that every day is Earth Day, but we were proud to join people worldwide in celebrating our Earth. We’re grateful to all of our residents who participated in our event,” said WVWD Board President Greg Young. “The goal of our event was to provide a space for education, fun, and community gathering. I truly hope that families in the Inland Empire walked away with increased knowledge on how to better protect our planet and our water.”
Alongside the WVWD booths, several local agencies, businesses, and non-profits also hosted booths and provided community members with additional information and resources. Attendees enjoyed free In-N-Out Burger, live entertainment from local dance groups, and a reptile demonstration provided by SoCal Jungle.
Since 1970, Earth Day has united people worldwide —1 billion in 2023—to raise awareness about environmental issues. Earth Day provides WVWD with an additional opportunity to educate Inland Empire community residents and families about water conservation and its work to provide clean and safe water.
“As both a mother and a professional in the water industry, I see a growing need to educate our future generations on protecting and preserving our Earth’s most precious resource,” said WVWD Division 1 Director Angela Garcia. “It was amazing to see so many young water stewards actively engaged and learning about how to better manage their water use.”
WVWD’s Earth Day event was funded through the generous contributions of several local organizations, who played an essential role in supporting the event. The sponsors for this year’s event included JPMorgan Chase Bank, San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District, San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, PCL Construction, and Therma-Pro Mechanical Services Inc.