LA PUENTE, CA – Bassett Unified School District was named a water smart school district by the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District for reducing water consumption across all campuses by installing state-of-the-art irrigation systems and technology.

“It’s an honor to have our water conservation work recognized by the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District,” Bassett Unified Board Vice President Javier Romo said. “We’ve made great strides to decrease water consumption throughout all of our campuses and provide our community with new ways to be water conscious.”

Bassett Unified began a water retrofit program for its schools in 2015 in partnership with the water district, helping to provide the project at no cost to the District. This included installing new sprinkler heads that spray within the schools’ landscaping and a landscape irrigation system that monitors and adapts to weather conditions, automatically shutting off irrigation when it rains.

The upgrades are part of the water district’s goal to save 763 acre-feet of water annually to reduce the San Gabriel Valley’s reliance on imported water. One acre-feet of water is equal to 325,851 gallons.

Bassett High students are also creating an environmentally-conscious culture on their campus. Students members of Olys Crushin’ It, a club focused on spreading recycling awareness, earned a grant and raised money to install two water-refill stations on campus, and made temporary, recycling bins for all Bassett High classrooms.

“Thank you to the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District for their partnership in helping us become a water-conscious District,” Bassett Unified Interim Superintendent Debra French said. “Our students have taken this as an example to become aware of their environment and contribute to our efforts.”