Laguna Beach Goes to War With Newport Over Water Conservation

Laguna Beach Mayor Jane Egly will go head to head this afternoon with the mayor of Newport Beach, Nancy Gardner, to kick off an online competition to determine whose city is more water-wise.

The National Mayor's Challenge for Water Conservation gets underway at an event being held today at the Back Bay Science Center in Newport from 3 to 4 p.m. The online competition runs through Monday, April 30.

Gardner and Egly are encouraging their residents to go the extra mile and make a free, online commitment to drastically slash water and energy use across the country.

Other cities across the United States will also be participating in the online competition, which is in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, to see whose residents can conserve the most water and reduce pollution into local watersheds. In return for participation, residents in the winning cities are eligible to win a Toyota Prius, a custom-designed sprinkler system from Rain Bird, EcoFlow showerheads from WaterPik, Sterling water-saving toilets and gift cards from Lowe's Home Improvement stores.

To take part in the water conservation challenge, visit   www.mywaterpledge.com.