Water-Saving Superstar Promotion Winners Honored
December 11, 2014
Six San Diego County residents and their families were recognized as Water-Saving Superstars by the San Diego County Water Authority…
Six San Diego County residents and their families were recognized as Water-Saving Superstars by the San Diego County Water Authority for their efforts to save water inside and outside their homes. Their stories are featured in a series of new online videos posted on the Water Authority’s drought website, whenindrought.org.
Grand-prize winners Steven and Susanne Tait from the City of San Diego shared that they make numerous efforts to “save every day, every way” – the theme of the promotion run by the Water Authority in partnership with U-T San Diego. For instance, the Taits save 80 gallons of water a week by using water flushed through their water purifier to irrigate plants. That allows the Taits to shut off some of their irrigation stations, a significant water-saving measure. The Taits also participated in the Water Authority’s WaterSmart Turf Replacement Program, which provides rebates for replacing water-intensive turf grass with WaterSmart landscaping. To conserve water indoors, the Taits shared that they installed low-flow faucet aerators and shower heads throughout their home. For their efforts, the Taits received two round-trip tickets donated by Southwest Airlines.
Other Water-Saving Superstar winners are Cardiff Park Homeowners Association board member Janet Becker, La Mesa resident Jesus Calleros and his family, Oceanside resident Joshua Dowdell and San Diego resident Jennifer Gary.
More than 70 people submitted their stories during the promotion, in which the Water Authority and the U-T invited people to share their water-saving efforts for a chance to win prizes generously donated by sponsors. The Water Authority and its 24 member agencies invite residents and businesses to continue sharing their water-saving successes at whenindrought.org.
“We congratulate the Water-Saving Superstars and thank all those who took the time to submit their stories as drought conditions continue into a fourth consecutive year,” said Mark Weston, chair of the Water Authority’s Board of Directors. “Sharing ideas provides a great opportunity for us to learn conservation strategies from each other. Every San Diego County resident can be a superstar when it comes to water conservation.”
The Water-Saving Superstar promotion is part of the Water Authority’s regional campaign, “When in Drought: Save every day, every way.” The campaign is partly funded by a grant from the state Department of Water Resources. It includes ads, public service announcements, online communications, and giveaways such as yard signs and magnets that promote the region’s water conservation ethic.
The Water Authority’s Board has declared a Drought Alert condition calling for mandatory water conservation measures, and the Water Authority’s member agencies have instituted water-use restrictions across the region. It’s almost certain that the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California – the San Diego region’s largest water supplier – will impose water-supply allocations in 2015 if conditions don’t improve quickly.
If MWD decreases water deliveries next year, the impacts in San Diego County will be reduced by two decades of investments by the Water Authority and its member agencies to enhance regional water supply reliability. Those efforts have included acquiring independent Colorado River water transfers and helping launch the Carlsbad Desalination Project, which is expected to start producing water as soon as fall 2015.