The California Department of Transportation launched a water awareness campaign this week using 700 electronic highway signs to educate Californians on their own water usage.
According to The Sacramento Bee, the signs will display the message, “Serious Drought. Help Save Water” while the state decides on how to handle the situation. The messages will not interfere with emergency, traffic, or Amber alerts. Caltran is in charge of 30,000 acres of irrigated lands, and is calling upon the people of California for aid, a message reiterated by Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty .
“Using our highway message signs, we are asking California’s 24 million drivers to join us in this important effort.”
The L.A. Times reports that the move is a part of a larger water campaign issued to agencies by Gov. Jerry Brown, who declared a statewide emergency last month. His announcement called for Californians to cut their water usage by at least 20%, and warned government agencies to ready for water shortages. Caltran is taking up other measures that include expanding irrigation equipment and recycling water.
Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons