Are your watering stipulations and conservation efforts about to change for the better?
The San Diego County Water Authority’s initial determination that the San Diego region has an adequate water supply for this and the next three years means the city of San Diego Public Utilities Department will be asking the City Council to enact the Level One Drought Watch condition. The city is currently in Level Two Drought Alert conditions.
“This recommendation is possible because of the fantastic job San Diegans did in responding to the call for water conservation and because of investments in creating new water supplies,” said Halla Razak, director of the public utilities department. ”While we are able to enact Level One it is important to remember that water conservation will always be a way of life in San Diego. We should all continue to do our part to save water.”
It is expected that the CWA’s decision will be certified by the State of California which would eliminate San Diego’s water conservation goal of 8 percent. The City Council’s Environment Committee may consider the recommendation to enact Level One in the coming weeks. If approved, the full City Council would consider the recommendation, and the new Level One Drought Watch would go into effect thereafter.
“Because our mandated reduction target will be eliminated, yet we are still in a drought, I am recommending that the City Council follow the City’s Emergency Drought Response Plan and move us back to Level One,” Razak said. “I congratulate City customers for reducing water consumption 17 percent compared to 2013 usage. Water-use efficiency is now clearly a way of life in San Diego.”
If the city moves to the Level One Drought Watch the biggest change will be that residents can water outdoors more than two days per week, though the city will still encourage voluntary conservation and limiting water usage outdoors to three days per week. Also, permanent water restrictions are still in effect. For a complete list, please visit: https://www.sandiego.gov/ water/conservation/drought/ prohibitions
The city’s award-winning Water Conservation Program will continue to help residents conserve water. Among the services and resources the city provides to its customers are:
· Free residential and commercial water surveys to ensure efficient use of water both indoors and outdoors;
· Rebate programs;
· Water waste mobile app to report water waste;
· Sustainable landscape classes to provide suggestions on how to convert your landscape to a more native, and drought-tolerant palate.
“We will continue to promote water conservation through efforts like the Waste No Water outreach campaign” Razak said. “At the same time we are also ensuring future water supplies by moving forward with Pure Water San Diego which will produce a safe, reliable, sustainable water supply equating to one-third of our demands by 2035.”
Information about the City’s Water Conservation Program can be found at: https://www.sandiego.gov/water /.
