Suzie-Q the squirrel observes a family in Bakersfield wasting water through practices like overfilling their pool, watering their lawn during the day, and having a leaky faucet. She educates the family about where their water comes from and how to conserve it, such as by taking shorter showers, turning off the water while brushing teeth, and fixing leaks. The family agrees to adopt water conservation practices and spread awareness to others in their community about the importance of conserving the limited fresh water supply.

1. Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
Bakersfield
State Water Project
Suzie-Q’s Water Awareness Campaign
H
eroes of Water Conservat
ion

3. High above a rooftop
in Northeast Bakersfield,
Suzie-Q the squirrel was
perched in a tree watching the
activities of the family living below.
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4. So much
wasted water!
Suzie-Q, known to her friends as the
Queen of Water Conservation, was
shaking her head as she went down her
water conservation checklist. “What a
bunch of water wasters!” she exclaimed.
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5. “Don’t they know that they are overfilling their
pool, watering their lawn during the heat of the
day and have a leaky faucet? I am going down
for a closer look.”
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6. Oh my!
Suzie-Q quietly
slid down the tree
and popped up on a
windowsill to see if
things could get any
worse. Sadly, it was
more of the same.
4

7. Hurry up,
sweetie!Suzie-Q watched as
a young girl left the
water running while
brushing her teeth and
heard her mother say,
“Annie, hurry up. You need to
finish since you were in the shower for an
hour.” Suzie-Q almost fell off of the windowsill.
“These people have no idea how they are wasting
such an important a resource,” she thought. 5

8. 6

9. “I wonder if Annie would look at
water differently if she knew that
it’s the same amount that was here
when dinosaurs roamed the earth,
yet there are billions more people
who use it today,” thought Suzie-Q.
“She could be drinking the same
water as a T-Rex did in earth’s
fantastic water cycle!”
7

10. the water cycle
8

11. “The sun heats the surface water
and changes it from a liquid to a gas
through a process called evaporation.
As the water molecules move
higher in the atmosphere, they begin
to form clouds in the process of
condensation. The water molecules
become so heavy that they fall as
precipitation and can freeze as a solid
or run off as a liquid into rivers and
streams.”
“Then when things heat up, the
amazing process starts all over again.
Only a small amount of earth’s water
supply is fresh water so I must make
them aware of water conservation!”
Suzie-Q thought.
9

12. Suzie-Q went back up into the tree and put on
her fancy cape. She meant serious business! She
grabbed her checklist and did a giant leap to ring
the doorbell.
10

13. (SHRIEK!)
When Annie opened the door and
saw Suzie-Q, she let out a loud
shriek! Annie’s dad and mom came
running. They were all stunned
when Suzie-Q said loudly, “The
only thing shocking in this house is
the amount of water being wasted!”
11

14. They were so surprised to have a talking
squirrel visit that they just listened as Suzie-Q
pushed her way in saying, “If you didn’t know,
Bakersfield is a desert region and water is
precious. Not only do people need water, but
plants and animals do too.”
12

15. Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
Bakersfield
State Water Project
Suzie-Q added,
“Much of our
water comes from
Northern California
and has to travel
hundreds of miles, yet
you have been acting like
there is an unlimited supply.”
13

16. 14

17. Annie’s dad said, “I know we aren’t
perfect, but it can’t be all that bad.”
“Want to bet?” Suzie-Q exclaimed, as
she grabbed her conservation checklist
and showed them that they had been
wasting water in just about every
category.
Annie’s mom said, “Suzie-Q, we are
sorry to have gotten such bad marks.
Can you tell us ways we can save
water?” Suzie-Q smiled about as wide
as a squirrel could and said, “That is
music to my ears! Let’s go over a few
tips on my checklist.”
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18. How to be WATER WISE
1. Keep showers under 5 minutes.
2. Turn off the water while you
brush your teeth.
3. Fix leaky faucets and toilets!
4. Encourage other family members
and friends to develop and promote
water conservation.
5. Plant native drought-tolerant plants,
and only water your lawn when
needed and in the cool parts of
the day.
Before Suzie-Q left, the family had
all promised to put these tips into
practice. They also promised to
spread the word to others. Suzie-Q
felt better knowing that more people
were on her water awareness team to
promote water conservation!
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20. Stories and activities developed by the
Kern County Water Agency.
For educational requests or for more information:
Phone: 661-634-1400
Email: info@kcwa.com
www.kcwa.com
Improvement District No. 4 (ID4) was formed by the Kern County Water
Agency (Agency) in 1971 to act as the wholesale provider of a supplemental
water supply for portions of the metropolitan Bakersfield area. Purified surface
water is supplied to portions of the City of Bakersfield, unincorporated areas of
Oildale, and other unincorporated sections of the northern and eastern urban
Bakersfield area within ID4.
The Agency operates the Henry C. Garnett Water Purification
Plant that delivers drinking water to the following purveyors:
California Water Service Company
City of Bakersfield
East Niles Community Services District
North of the River Municipal Water District
(which wholesales to Oildale Mutual Water Company)
H
er
oes of Water Conservati
on