The family is committed to finding workable solutions to one of Southern California's biggest water problems: the need to reduce consumption. Rancho Mission Viejo has implemented a "smart" watering system at Ladera Ranch that will likely become an industry standard and is already anticipated as a component of The Ranch Plan. Under the system, a sophisticated computer monitors weather, rainfall, and wind and keeps track of how much water is released through the sprinkler system. The system calculates soil moisture based on stored information on slope, sun direction, evaporation rates, root depth, plant species, soil type and other factors to come up with an ideal watering schedule for each zone. This innovative watering system is saving an estimated 60 percent of the water that would be consumed using conventional sprinklers. That's more than 400 million gallons a year!