You may have seen signs feature Gnorman the gnome in front of some Seal Beach homes lately. The signs indicate that a property is Gnorman approved for water conservation efforts.
Gnorman is the spokesman/mascot for Orange County’s Over Watering is Out water conservation program.
Glenn Cajar, the city’s part time water conservation inspector, said the county gave him 15 signs and he distributed all he had.
Cajar said anyone who believes they qualify for Gnorman’s approval may visit www.overwateringisout.org and click on “Get Gnorman approved.”
Cajar works 20 hours a week as Seal Beach’s water conservation inspector, though he is actually an employee of the city’s water conservation consultant John Hunter and Associates.
Public Works Director Sean Crumby said that when the city hired Hunter and Associates as part of its water conservation efforts, part of their services included a water conservation inspector.
“I didn’t want the title to be intimidating,” Crumby said.
According to Crumby, the inspector’s responsibilities are varied.
One: Cajar responds to resident calls about water use.
Two: he drives through the city looking for opportunities to educate the public about saving water.
Three: he has made visits to community groups such as the Lions and homeowners associations to talk about water conservation.
Four: he enforces city code concerning water use.
According to Crumby, water conservation efforts in Seal Beach have been successful. He has reported that Seal Beach recently reduced water use by 5 percent.
The state recently required an 8 percent reduction for Seal Beach and 22 other communities—leaving Seal Beach to reduce water use by just 3 percent to meet the mandate.
