The San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors today acted to help local water agencies meet state mandated water-use reduction targets by restricting irrigation of ornamental landscapes to no more than two days a week across the region and immediately boosting regional conservation and outreach efforts by $1 million. In addition, the Board established local urban and agricultural water supply cutbacks based on reduced water deliveries from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and set penalties for local agencies that exceed their supply allocations.
Category Archives: Drought
Second May Storm Offers Big Chance to Save Water
A storm expected to douse San Diego County on Thursday and Friday offers a big opportunity to conserve large volumes of water by turning off irrigation systems before the rain hits and leaving them off for as long as possible. The predicted showers and cool temperatures follow a storm last week that provided much-needed rain across the region – an unusual weather pattern for May.
Water Authority Recommends Regional Water-Use Reduction Strategies
New regional drought-response measures recommended by the San Diego County Water Authority’s staff would assist local water agencies in meeting state mandated water-use reduction targets by restricting watering of ornamental landscapes to two days a week and boosting regional conservation and outreach efforts by $1 million.
Water-Efficient Landscape Workshops Offered for Industry Professionals
The San Diego County Water Authority and its partners are holding two free water conservation workshops for landscapers, nursery industry professionals, master gardeners, public agency facilities management staff and specialists in related industries on May 13 and 14. The workshops – “Strategies for Water-Efficient Landscapes” – are offered in cooperation with the University of California, Davis, the University of California Cooperative Extension, the SDG&E Energy Innovation Center and others.
Water Authority and SDG&E Streamline Rebate Process for Water-Saving Appliance
As part of the regional response to severe drought conditions, the San Diego County Water Authority and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) have teamed up to streamline the rebate process for qualifying high-efficiency clothes washers. Residents in SDG&E’s service area can now receive two rebates totaling $135 per high-efficiency clothes washer using one application at www.SoCalWaterSmart.com. Previously, customers needed to complete two applications to receive rebates of $85 and $50.
Public Opinion Poll Shows Increasing Support for Water Supply Diversification Amid Drought
The vast majority of San Diego County residents – 84 percent – support the region’s water supply diversification strategy, according to the San Diego County Water Authority’s most recent public opinion poll presented to the Board of Directors on Thursday. The survey also showed that 87 percent of respondents believe using water efficiently is a civic duty, while more than half said they could conserve more at home and support mandatory measures to cut water use.
MWD Approves 15 Percent Cuts to Water Supplies for San Diego County
Facing unprecedented drought conditions, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s board of directors on Tuesday approved a 15 percent water supply cutback to the San Diego County Water Authority and its other customers starting July 1. That decision is one of several important actions in coming weeks that will impact the San Diego region’s water supplies and conservation targets over the next year.
Time to Let Mother Nature Do the Watering for a Change
The San Diego County Water Authority urges residents and businesses to turn off their irrigation systems and leave them off for up to two weeks following a storm that is expected to deliver significant rainfall on Tuesday and Wednesday. A few rainy days can provide enough water for lawns to survive for weeks without irrigation, and they provide a valuable chance to save stored water supplies for next summer when water reserves will be even more important.
Water Authority Equips Restaurants to Show Commitment to Water Conservation
In conjunction with the 10th Annual San Diego Restaurant Week, the San Diego County Water Authority and leading restaurant industry associations are distributing thousands of table-top tents to remind patrons that water is only being served upon request to save more water now in case serious drought conditions continue into 2015.
Carlsbad Desalination Project 65 Percent Complete
At the start of the 2015 “water year,” the largest seawater desalination project in the Western Hemisphere is 65 percent complete and on schedule for delivering drought-proof water supplies to the San Diego County Water Authority next fall.