Basic HTML Version
55
Chapter 9: Reliability Through Diversification
Water Authority General
Manager
Maureen
Stapleton said at the ti
me.
3
The summit
helped focus attention on cli
mate-appropriate
landscaping and efficient irrigation. More than
half of the water used at the typical home is
used outdoors, creating an opportunity for
major savings with the adoption of plants that
don’t demand a lot of
water, and the installa-
tion of “smart” irrigation systems that
mini
mize
water use by accounting for soil and weather
conditions.
In response to drought and water-shortage
conditions between 2007 and 2011, the
Water Authority rolled out conservation cam-
paigns such as the 20-Gallon Challenge. That
highly successful program inspired residents
around the region to reduce their water use by
20 gallons per person, per day. It was eventu-
ally replaced by the
WaterSmart initiative,
a comprehensive
program that
embraces water-
efficiency as a way
of life rather than just
a response to
drought conditions.
The coordinated,
multifaceted conser-
vation strategy pro-
duced dramatic results and put the region on
track to meet its 2020 water-efficiency target.
Per capita water use in the San Diego region
plummeted by more than 30 percent between
2007 and 2012, and total regional
water use
remains below 1990 levels despite the addition
of roughly 600,000 people. Not only have resi-
dents embraced conservation activities, but 95
percent of respondents to a 2012 opinion sur-
vey said it’s their civic responsibility to use
water as efficiently as possible.
4
With that kind
of public support, the Water Authority expects
to meet 13 percent of its projected water
demand in 2020 through conservation.
RECYCLING WATER SUPPLIES
Another local
water source that grew over the
years was water recycling, a process that
involves capturing wastewater, treating
it and reusing it.
Recycled water is dis-
tributed around the
region in distinctive
purple pipes for indus-
trial purposes, and for
landscape irrigation at
golf courses, business
parks and other large
sites. In 2012, roughly
27,000 acre-feet of
recycled water annually
SAN DIEGO COUNTY WATER FACTS (2012)
San Diego County’s Water Sources:
• 44% from Colorado River Aqueduct (242-mile aqueduct)
• 28% from State Water Project (444-mile California Aqueduct)
• 28% local
water supply projects and conservation
Local
Water Sources:
10% surface
3% groundwater
4% recycled
11% conservation
*Differences in percentage total due to rounding
Water Use (Annual
Average 2012):
65.7% residential
13.6% industrial/commercial
8.7% agricultural
12% other
Olivenhain Recycled Water Project