Water Authority Urges Continued Irrigation Hiatus as Weekend Storms Approach
February 19, 2010
The San Diego County Water Authority is urging residents and businesses to shut down landscape irrigation systems due to a…
The San Diego County Water Authority is urging residents and businesses to shut down landscape irrigation systems due to a forecast for rain starting Friday evening through Saturday, with additional storms possible early next week.
“We have seen significant water use reductions as wet weather has increased in the region. That’s a sign that many people have turned their irrigation systems off, and we want to thank them for doing so,” said Bill Rose, Water Conservation Program Executive for the Water Authority. “For those who turned off their irrigation systems during recent rains we ask that they keep them off. If you have reactivated your system, or have not yet shut down your system, please turn them off now.”
Following a significant storm, irrigation systems can remain off for several weeks. The Water Authority estimates a one-week hiatus from using landscape watering systems across the region can save approximately 2,000 acre-feet of water, or enough to meet the needs of 4,000 families of four for a year.
Conservation helps maintain water storage levels and helps mitigate the San Diego region’s vulnerability to reductions in imported supplies. County residents and businesses used 12.9 percent less water in the last six months of 2009 compared to the same period in 2008.
Mandatory water use restrictions are still in effect for most of San Diego County, and regulatory restrictions on pumping water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay-Delta continue to reduce the reliability of imported water supplies. On average, the region has received more than a third of its water supply from the Delta over the last six years.
Additional water-saving tips are available at: www.20gallonchallenge.com.
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