Residential and business water use in San Diego County fell 12.8 percent during the first year of regional water shortages and mandatory water use restrictions, according to a report provided today to the San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors.
Category Archives: Regulations & Restrictions
Water Authority Ends Shortage Allocations, Lifts Call for Mandatory Use Restrictions
Significant improvements in this year’s weather and water storage led the San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors today to end mandatory urban and agricultural water supply cutbacks and to lift the agency’s regionwide call for mandatory water use restrictions.
The board also reinforced the need for the region to continue to use water wisely and called upon the state of California to finalize a financially viable plan to solve significant problems plaguing the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay-Delta, the hub of California’s State Water Project system.
Water Authority Recommends Turning Off Sprinklers Before Rain Storms
The San Diego County Water Authority is reminding homeowners and businesses to turn off irrigation systems in anticipation of a series of rain storms predicted by the National Weather Service to begin late Sunday in the San Diego region. Forecasters expect the storms to continue throughout the week.
State Water-Use Reduction Mandates Start Today
The period for local water agencies to start achieving state-mandated water-use targets starts today, making it critical for homes and businesses across San Diego County to immediately limit irrigation of ornamental landscapes with potable water to no more than two days a week.
New State Water-Use Regulation Offers Regional Benefits from Seawater Desalination
The San Diego County Water Authority is working with state regulators to certify the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant as a drought-resilient local supply source that will reduce state-mandated water-use targets across the region.
San Diego Region Posts 18 Percent December Water Savings
The San Diego region posted an 18 percent decrease in urban potable water use in December and remains on track to meet the state’s aggregate regional goal through February, according to preliminary data released today by the San Diego County Water Authority.
Counting December’s savings, total regional potable water use has declined by 24 percent since state-mandated emergency water-use targets took effect in June 2015 compared to the state’s 2013 baseline period. That tops the state’s aggregate target of 20 percent for the region.
San Diego Region Achieves 15 Percent Water Savings in November
San Diego County continued its streak of significant water savings in November, when urban potable water use decreased by 15 percent compared to November 2013, according to preliminary data released today by the San Diego County Water Authority.
Since the start of state-mandated emergency water savings in June, regional water consumption has declined by 24 percent compared to the state’s baseline period in 2013, beating the regional aggregate target of 20 percent.
Local Supplies from Carlsbad Desalination Plant Certified as Drought-Resilient
State regulators have certified the supply of potable water from the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant as drought-resilient, reducing the regional impacts of emergency water-use mandates the state imposed in June 2015. Certification by the State Water Resources Control Board lowers the regional aggregate water conservation goal from 20 percent to about 13 percent, though water-use targets will continue to vary by local water agency.
Region Beats Aggregate State Water-Use Targets Through February
Preliminary data released today by the San Diego County Water Authority show that the region reduced potable water use by 21 percent from June through February, outperforming the state’s aggregate regional target of 20 percent during the initial phase of unprecedented state water-use mandates.
Urban Water Use Declined 27 Percent Countywide During Summer Months
Over the first three months of state-mandated savings, the San Diego region reduced urban potable water use by 27 percent compared to the same period in 2013, beating the regional aggregate target of 20 percent. Conserved water in San Diego County is being stored locally for future use, a valuable asset should drought conditions continue into 2016 or beyond.