Volunteers needed! here is a great family service project. This Saturday, April 25, 9 am till noon. Time to clean up our coastline! Join I Love A Clean San Diego in their 7th Annual Creek to Bay Cleanup. Visit www.creektobay.org to choose a place to clean up and to register! Scouts earn patches for their volunteer work as well!

Now for the bad news. Mandatory Water conservation coming to Poway July 1. Also this is the date for those water rate increases which could be as much as 30% according to the POway News Chieftain. Poway officials are planning to declare a Stage 2 water emergency next month and mandatory water usage reduction by 13%. At the March 17 water workshop the council agreed to implement a 4 tiered pricing system. The more you use the higher the cost for the water.They are also looking at putting apts. and condos and industrial customers on a similar program.We are presently at 2.61 per 746 gallons of water. This will go up to 3.40 July 1, and to 3.80 in Jaunary of 2010. Seriously? Seriously.

So here are a few more ways to cut water usage. Time to buy a bucket for the shower to catch all the water used in waiting for the shower to warm up so you can jump in! And don't pour the water you use to boil pasta, boil eggs or steam veggies down the drain either. Have a pitcher to pour it into. When it is cool use it to water your plants. And don't shave in the shower. This wastes a lot of water. Shave at the sink, or turn the shower off while you shave and just use the shower to rinse off. And outside? Cut your lawn at 2 to 2 1/2 inches. Longer grass helps to reduce evaporation. Also leave the grass clippins on the lawn as it cools the ground abd holds in moisture.