The smart sprinkler giveaway is one of a number of outreach efforts under way to encourage residents to conserve water in one of the driest years ever in Southern California. In addition, the Colorado River, where Southern California receives a major portion of its drinking water, is in the eighth year of drought.

These controllers feature technology similar to that used by golf courses, parks departments and other large landscapers to water plants efficiently.

Many of them monitor information such as rain, wind, temperature, humidity, soil moisture, the amount of time it takes water to evaporate and plant type to calculate the amount of water needed to keep plants healthy.

Studies show water savings of up to 40 gallons per household per day at homes where a smart sprinkler control box had been installed.