San Diego County came under a drought alert late last month, making water conservation mandatory for the region’s 3.2 million people.
The specific restrictions vary among the county’s 23 local water districts, from tiny Del Mar to sprawling San Diego. The San Diego County Water Authority provides an online guide to the rules for each district.
“San Diego County residents have a strong track record of water conservation and responding to drought conditions, and we have seen interest in water-saving programs swell the past few months as drought conditions have worsened,” said Thomas V. Wornham, chair of the water authority’s board of directors.
Most districts follow these nine rules:
- Limit watering days (typically to three days per week)
- Water only during the early morning or late evening
- Eliminate runoff from irrigation systems
- Repair all leaks within 72 hours
- Turn off fountains and other water features unless they use recycled water
- Use hoses with shut-off values when washing cars
- Serve water at restaurants only upon request
- Offer hotel guests the option of not laundering towels and linens daily
- Use recycled or non-potable water for construction
A free water use checkup is available through watersmartcheckup.org, which is sponsored by the county water authority and the California Department of Water Resources.
There are also a growing number of mobile apps to help during a drought. The San Diego AT&T Wireless team offers this list of four free applications:
While some California communities have faced reduced water deliveries for months, the San Diego region has avoided them because of two decades of investments to diversify and improve the reliability of the region’s water supply source, such as the raising of the San Vicente Dam and the desalination plant under construction in Carlsbad.
“But our water supply challenges are growing more serious, and water supply cutbacks in 2015 are a real possibility if conditions don’t improve this winter,” Wornham said.
The county water authority is a public agency serving the San Diego region as a wholesale supplier of water from the Colorado River and Northern California.
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