Willoughby went for the gold this summer, as a majority of residents dove in and became Water Wise.

Water Wise, presented by Langley Township and Langley Environmental Partners Society (LEPS), promotes protection of the water supply.

"It is encouraging to see that so many people have been receptive to our message," said Water Wise coordinator Taryn Hesketh.

Each year Water Wise focuses on a different community, and this summer, the team visited 1,700 homes in Willoughby.

Of the homes contacted, 93 per cent took the Water Conservation Challenge to reduce their lawn sprinkling to one inch or one hour.

As well, more than half the residents who took the challenge were willing to forego watering their lawns to "go golden" in the summer.

"Lawn sprinkling uses 2,100 litres of water per hour," said Hesketh, "so having so many people participate in the challenge meant a lot of water was saved."

Since 2002, Water Wise has reached 17,700 Langley Township homes, providing practical information, tools, and incentives to protect the drinking water supply. Over the years, an average of 90 per cent of residents have been willing to take the Water Conservation Challenge.

"This demonstrates that the citizens of Langley are becoming more aware about the need to conserve and protect our water supply," Hesketh said.

Half of Langley's municipal water supply comes from local groundwater. The other half is purchased from Metro Vancouver's Coquitlam reservoir.

It costs less to use the Township's own groundwater than it does to buy water from Metro Vancouver.

During the summer months, water demand rises 50 per cent, due to increased outdoor water use.

In the summer months when runoff and rainfall are low, streams also depend on groundwater flow as it provides cool water for fish and other animals.

Groundwater resources can become contaminated: "Things like spilled oil, uncovered manure piles, or an overuse of fertilizers and other chemicals can all seep down and pollute our communal groundwater reserves," said Water Wise's Jason Paul.

"It is important to remember that one person's practices on their own property can impact the groundwater resource that we all share," added Water Wise's Lindsay Roberts.