Water Shortage and Drought Response
San Diego County Drought Response Level
Click on each box above to see restrictions or actions for each drought response level.
Mandatory Water Conservation Measures in Your Area
What is our current water situation?
The San Diego County Water Authority,
in response to ongoing water supply
challenges, is continuing current limits
on reduced water deliveries to local
water agencies for a second straight
year through June 30, 2011.
The decision means the region will need to
continue to keep urban water use at least
8 percent below pre-cutback levels. Although snowfall in the Sierra
Nevada in Northern California
was well above average
this winter, regulatory
restrictions on pumping
in the Bay-Delta significantly
reduced any water supply
benefits from it. The reduced
pumping capacity means larger volumes of water are lost during
wet years, greatly limiting the
ability to refill reservoirs to help
cope with future dry years.
The region remains in a Level 2 “Drought Alert”
condition. This enables the Water Authority’s
24 member retail agencies to use mandatory
water use restrictions or other measures to curb
demand. Water use restrictions may vary by retail
agency. Residents and businesses should check
with their local water provider to make sure they
understand rates, restrictions and other conditions
in their community. Thanks to conservation
efforts by residents and businesses, regionwide
water use is on pace to meet or exceed the
8 percent savings goal.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern
California, the Water Authority’s main supplier,
is also continuing its
allocations of water
deliveries through
June 30, 2011. In 2009
MWD reduced water
deliveries to the San
Diego region by 13 percent. Additional water
supplies secured as part
of the Water Authority’s
supply diversification
strategy
enabled the San Diego
region’s shortage to be reduced to 8 percent.
Many water agencies around the state are grappling
with supply shortages. Drought conditions, diminished water storage levels, and regulatory restrictions on water deliveries from Northern
California have combined to severely limit water supplies around much of California. The regulatory restrictions are expected to affect water supply reliability in the years ahead.
To prepare the San Diego region for potential water shortages, in March 2008 the San Diego County Water Authority released
a Model Drought Response Ordinance to its member retail agencies. The Model
Drought Response Ordinance identifies four drought response levels that contain
water-use restrictions that will help achieve demand reduction during water
shortages. Member agencies are using the Water Authority's model to update their
own ordinances to help provide consistency throughout the region on response
levels and water use restrictions that may be taken to reduce water demand.
Member agency drought ordinances may vary. To find out which
ordinance is applicable in your area, locate your member agency here.
Links to member agency drought ordinances can be found here.
Model Drought Response Ordinance & Proposed Restrictions
Drought Management Plan
Reservoir Levels
Board Memos
Enhancing Supply Reliability
Member Agencies' Drought Ordinances
Helpful Links
Reservoir Levels
Local Conditions
State Conditions
Back to top
Board Memos
Notification to the San Diego County Water Authority Member Agencies of a Regional Drought Response Level 1, Drought Watch Condition - April 16, 2008
Draft Model Drought Response Conservation Program Ordinance for Use by the San Diego County Water Authority Member Agencies - March 19, 2008
Back to top
Helpful Links
20-Gallon Challenge
Association of California Water Agencies
Department of Water Resources Drought Page
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
Snowpack Report (Department of Water Resources)
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation - Lower Colorado River Region
U.S. Drought Monitor
Back to top
| 
