LOS ANGELES, CA - The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has extended to Jan. 31, 2003, the deadline for applying for grants from the district's Innovative Conservation Program.

Under the program, Metropolitan provides monetary grants to support new technologies and approaches to conserving water. The district has $250,000 earmarked for this year's ICP grants.

Applications and additional information are available on Metropolitan's Web site, www.mwdh2o.com

Previous grant recipients have included a recirculating X-ray film developer, which saves enough water to provide for six families each year, and a pressurized water broom -- for both of which Metropolitan now also offers rebates to buyers.

Metropolitan has long promoted water conservation as a critical element of ensuring a reliable, high-quality water supply for semi-arid Southern California, a lesson learned from the state's last drought.

Since then, the district has invested billions of dollars on water-development programs, such as recycling, groundwater cleanup and transfers. More than $220 million of that was spent on conservation programs.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a cooperative of 26 cities and water agencies serving more than 17 million people in six counties. The District imports water from the Colorado River and Northern California to supplement local supplies, and helps its members to develop increased water conservation, recycling, storage, and other water-management programs.

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

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