Spring Plant Fairs Offer Big Discounts on Low-Water-Use Plants
February 12, 2015
The San Diego County Water Authority and nearly a dozen local member agencies have teamed with The Home Depot again…
The San Diego County Water Authority and nearly a dozen local member agencies have teamed with The Home Depot again this spring to offer significant savings on water-efficient plants at San Diego County Garden Friendly Plant Fairs through May.
Specially marked containers of low-water-use plants such as lavender, bougainvillea, society garlic and rosemary will be discounted during plant fairs at select The Home Depot stores. Industry experts will be at the events to provide information about water-efficient irrigation supplies, and how to select and grow low-water-use plants. The Home Depot certified nursery consultants will host how-to workshops, and local retail water agency staff will be on-hand with water conservation information.
Water Authority member agencies participating in plant fairs are Carlsbad Municipal Water District, city of Escondido, city of Oceanside, Olivenhain Municipal Water District, Otay Water District, city of Poway, city of San Diego, San Dieguito Water District, Santa Fe Irrigation District, Sweetwater Authority and Vallecitos Water District.
“These plant fairs offer cost-effective opportunities to trim water use and enhance your property at the same time,” said Jeff Stephenson, principal water resources specialist at the Water Authority. “More than half of the water used in a typical home is used outdoors, so renovating your landscape is one of the best things you can do to conserve water.”
The San Diego region’s largest water supplier, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, may impose water supply allocations this year if water supply conditions don’t improve quickly. Two decades of investments in water supply reliability for San Diego County – including independent Colorado River water transfers and the Carlsbad Desalination Project – will help reduce the impacts of any reductions in imported water supplies by about half, but the need for conservation will continue.
The Water Authority’s Board of Directors has declared a Drought Alert condition calling for mandatory water conservation measures. Restrictions vary by member agency. For information about water-use rules by community, go to www.whenindrought.org. The website also provides links to water conservation resources such as a home water-use calculator, a 140-page digital flipbook “eGuide to a WaterSmart Lifestyle,” and incentives on a range of water-saving measures, from rain barrels to low-water-use devices and appliances.
The plant fair partnership is designed to increase adoption of WaterSmart landscapes that are appropriate for San Diego County’s semi-arid climate. In addition to the plant fairs, the Water Authority offers many other water-saving resources, including incentive programs anda series of free classes around the region to help turn conventional yards into WaterSmart landscaping showcases. For more information about the plant fairs, classes and rebate opportunities, go to WaterSmartSD.org.