voiceofsandiego.org: Cafesandiego... Save Water, Save San Diego

It was early 1991. Southern California hadn't seen any significant rain in five years. Things were looking pretty dire. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which supplied 95 percent of our water, had already cut water deliveries by 31 percent and was planning a 50 percent cutback. Lawns and gardens were dead, businesses were folding and extreme mandatory water-use restrictions were being enforced. And then, in March, it rained ... a lot.

The drought ended but the memory of those days didn't. In a single voice, San Diego county said to the water authority, "Never again." We needed to do whatever was necessary to reduce our dependence on a single supplier and find better ways to use this precious resource that was so scarce in our region.

At the end of the drought, the water authority began an aggressive water conservation program. This effort was part of an overall goal of increasing water supply reliability and reducing our dependence on Metropolitan. Since their inception, these conservation programs have saved 492,000 acre-feet of water. That's more than 160 billion gallons of water we did not have to buy and import into the county. If you live or work in San Diego County, conserving water is a necessity, a duty, and it should be a way of life.

Okay, so you're saying, "What can I do? I'm one person, what possible difference can I make?"

Does it annoy you to see lawn sprinklers going off in the middle of a rainstorm? Do you want to go knock on the door of the guy who is diligently watering his driveway and sidewalk and you're watching that water run down the street into the drain?

Here are some facts. While the amount of water savings from indoor conservation has grown steadily since 1991, we have barely scratched the surface in water savings outdoors. By simply practicing good, basic landscape management, studies have shown we could save 20 percent of the water that is currently used on landscapes. That translates to a savings of 62,000 acre-feet annually, or more water than would be produced each year by a 100-million gallon-per-day seawater desalination plant.

If San Diegans would make a commitment to install low-water-use landscapes we can save another 20 percent, another 62,000 acre-feet. If you don't think that San Diego is ready to embrace more efficient outdoor water use practices, think again. A new public opinion poll by the water authority found that 83 percent of San Diegans thought drought-tolerant landscapes to be easier to maintain than traditional landscaping, 67 percent thought they were at least as attractive and 55 percent thought they were no more costly. Approximately two-fifths (41 percent) of respondents said they would be motivated to reduce the size of their grass lawn to make maintenance easier and another 27 percent were interested in saving money through lower water use.

Are you ready to make the commitment? Because if you're not, I'd like to know why.

The benefits to our region go well beyond the water savings. Low-water-use landscapes reduce urban drool, the run-off that flows to our beaches and bays that we all enjoy so much. Reduced runoff reduces damage to roads - potholes that we all pay to repair as taxpayers! Low-water-use landscapes reduce the green waste going to our over burdened landfills, which we all pay for with our taxes! And it will reduce your individual water bill. If you receive your water from an agency that sets your sewer bill based upon your winter water use, a low-water-use landscape will also reduce your sewer bill, which is sometimes greater than your water bill.

If you want to get started, visit the Water Conservation Garden or the water authority's websites for lots of great ideas!

Bottom line -- water conservation makes sense because it's good for our people, our economy and our environment.

-- FERN STEINER

Why should we think about conservation when the water rates and sewer rates are set by political operatives and are not really based on comsuption. The City gives breaks to the big users and the individuals have to pick up the cost. The city raised rates previously and mis-appropriated the money which should have been used for improvements in the infrastructure which would save considerably. How many individuals have to conserve to make up for one break? Additionally, the mayor os san diego says we are going to hve a water shortage crisis.

Posted by Rick | reply to this comment
March 5, 2007 11:17 am

Note to Fern! I highly recommend that you set your sights beyond the county of San Diego, which is where this area’s water comes from. The Colorado River and its encompassing watershed are in serious danger of collapse—when that occurs conservation will be a meaningless statement! Further, you say nothing of the 175 million gallons of water that San Diego “throws away” every day without any thought to recovery of that water—frankly, you suspect you are clueless about the water issue!

Posted by Howiek | reply to this comment
March 5, 2007 12:24 pm

Are you ready to make the commitment? Because if you're not, I'd like to know why. Um because water usage isn't the problem at all, its population growth. Why ask current residents to keep sacrificing so someone else can go on developing. If water gets expensive enough, people will leave. Your article suggests its over usage of water that is the problem, its actually too many people.

Posted by barnaby33 | reply to this comment
March 5, 2007 12:33 pm

Conserve??? We approved billions of dollars worth of bonds that didn't include any surface storage!!! If ice melts faster, how are we going to store it? That means more floods and more expensive water. And guess what, get ready to spend billions more in '08! You thought Props 84 and 1E were expensive! Just wait and see!

Posted by WhyConserve? | reply to this comment
March 5, 2007 1:29 pm

Get into the "development" process so that the crackerbox condos that SD's owners keep building are at least more water-conscious and less wasteful. Much architecture here does nothing to add to saving anything; this needs to be changed. Maybe if you and your government buddies beg pretty please to the Corky Micks and their consorts, they might change their building practices and help save a few gallons per person per day; that's better than sticking it to the populace which is what you do now. Get at the root, Fern. The leaves will take care of themselves.

Posted by Mr. Coffee | reply to this comment
March 6, 2007 1:26 am

If anyone in the City of San Diego is ready and willing to conserve water in their homes or large landscape call City of San Diego Water Conservation at 619-570-1999 for a free Water Conservation Survey. Homeowners get an interior and exterior survey of their homes done by experience water conservation surveyors. Businesses and large property owners with an acre or more of landscaping get a comprehensive landscape survey done by irrigation specialists. Save water - save money!

Posted by Maureen | reply to this comment
March 6, 2007 2:10 am

It seems like all anyone wants to do is point the finger at someone else for our water issues. Our water issues are all of our issues. Not one person or entity can fix it. Lets face it we are at the end of the pipeline and we have no choice but to implement all measures including conservation in order to secure a sustainable water supply. If we aren't doing everything possible to conserve water then why do we even deserve funding for capital improvement projects or desalination? We need to show that San Diegans are doing everything it takes!

Posted by Vick | reply to this comment
March 6, 2007 2:28 am

We're all in this together. On a global level, the population figures are astounding. There are approx. 1.5 billion people on the earth without adequate access to safe drinking water. This translates into issues of overuse & inadequate waste treatment. As a populace, it is unproductive to point fingers. We need all of us, homeowners, politicians, developers, ALL consumers to consider the results of our actions. It is imperative that we act together to protect the source of our water supply, for people & for the eco-balance. Conservation is crucial. visit www.nature.org/freshwater/

Posted by bunska | reply to this comment
March 6, 2007 2:37 am

Saving water does not have to be painful. I just renovated my yard with drought-tolerant plant material--not native sticks, by the way, but lovely plants from Australia, South Africa, and the Med. AND I installed a weather-based-irrigation controller. We can now "mow the lawn" in about 10 minutes! It's not only beautiful, but a great time saver!

Posted by Kay | reply to this comment
March 6, 2007 3:11 am

This issue is less about conserving water and more about living within our means. We can complain about how big business and government dictates water policy, but this is a concern for anyone who turns on a sprinkler system. More than half of San Diego's water consumption is used on landscapes. For What? To make San Diego look like someplace that it's not? How many lawns, greenbelts, and grass median strips go unused and are kept green simply because they look nice? Let's start using landscape plants and groundcovers that thrive in our Meditteranean climate. Let's choose landscape plants that are native to this area. We should all ask ourselves, "what type of landscape am i irrigating and why"?

Posted by Straight from the Tap | reply to this comment
March 6, 2007 3:12 am

Why doesn't anyone talk about using greywater (the water from showers, tubs, clothes washers and not form the toilet or kitchen sink)systems? There are systems which can be installed which use 1/2 the water from inside the home for irrigation purposes. These systems can eliminate irrigation run-off pollution and reduce wastewater costs up to 50%.

Posted by Doug | reply to this comment
March 6, 2007 4:03 am

A difference can be made one person at a time. Grassroots efforts can work in water conservation!

Posted by Connie | reply to this comment
March 6, 2007 7:00 am

We took out our front lawn shortly after moving into our 1950's home about five years ago. The lawn area was unused and it was nearly impossible to irrigate without watering the sidewalk and driveway. Some neighbors first thought our "desertscape" was a joke, but now that they have seen it fill in and has year round color and uses little water, they ask how they can do something similar. We all have to do our part to ensure that there is enough water for us in times of drought, whether it is local, statewide or affecting the Western US.

Posted by Water efficient guy | reply to this comment
March 6, 2007 7:51 am

It might be a bit of a drive, but the Theodore Payne Foundation's 4th Annual Native Plant Garden Tour on April 28 and 29 is one of the best resources for seeing what can be done in a home landscape to conserve water with California native plants. There are 30 beautiful gardens of all styles and sizes throughout Los Angeles on the Tour, all with at least 50% California native plants. It's worth the trip, San Diego! Find out more at www.theodorepayne.org. In this time of drought, we have no choice but to be more conscious.

Posted by Native Harmony in LA | reply to this comment
March 6, 2007 9:00 am

Not watering the grass puts me out of a job. Droughtfully yours, LM P.S. Environmentally friendly too, ya can't get any "greener" than my owner's rock garden!

Posted by The Lawn Mower | reply to this comment
March 6, 2007 11:41 pm

Water conservation/xeriscaping can clearly go a long ways to reducing demand. How about recycling gray (water from sinks and dishwashers) for landscaping irrigation? I'd be curious what the per capita water use is in San Diego. I'd wager it's a lot higher than that in Arizona cities, or even many southern California cities. And, yes, consider municipal ordinances to fine those whose household/landscaping use runoff winds up in streets, creeks and the ocean! Thanks for hosting this blog, Ms. Steiner.

Posted by kuaaina | reply to this comment
March 8, 2007 12:25 am

Save Water, Save San Diego

Published: Monday, March 5, 2007 6:48 PM PST

-- FERN STEINER