Why is the Water Authority calling for increased voluntary conservation?
How much water does San Diego County receive from the State Water Project?
How much water do you want people to save, and for how long?
How much water does the San Diego region use every year? What’s the average per capita water use?
What tips and programs are available to help residents and businesses save water?
Where else can I go to get more information on conservation tips and programs?
If I live in a community with a homeowner’s association, do I have the legal right to replace grass in my front or back yard with a drought-tolerant landscape?
Are farmers being asked to conserve more water?
How will local agriculture be impacted by current water supply challenges?
Is San Diego County in a drought?
Who decides when mandatory conservation is needed to combat a drought?
What is the risk of, or potential for mandatory restrictions on water use?
Do dry conditions always mean supply shortages?
Can the dry conditions we are going through get worse?
Does the Water Authority have a strategy or plan to deal with dry conditions?
Does the Drought Management Plan cover all of San Diego County?
What is the Water Authority doing to minimize potential impacts from drought?
What is the current diversity of the San Diego region’s water supply?
Is the Water Authority adding more water storage capacity?
What is the Water Authority doing to support seawater desalination?
Why do we need to get so much of the region’s water from imported supplies?
Can the Water Authority buy more imported water to help meet the region’s needs?
Who can I contact if my questions are still not answered?
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Why is the Water Authority calling for increased voluntary conservation?
San Diego County’s supplies are being cut by recent court-ordered restrictions on water deliveries from Northern California. Combined with dry conditions, these restraints are rapidly depleting water storage levels across much of the state. To make matters worse, the court-ordered restrictions are making our state system for managing water more vulnerable to weather changes. This will make it more difficult to cope with and recover from dry conditions in the years ahead.
The impact of these supply restrictions are
being felt around the state. On June 4, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
declared California is in a drought. Several water districts
already have implemented mandatory water-use restrictions.
It also is affecting thousands of growers and agricultural
water users in San Diego County. About 5,000 customers who
subscribe to a discount water program run by the Metropolitan
Water District of Southern California had those supplies cut
by 30 percent as of January 1. Growers are stumping trees
or finding other ways to cut production to comply with these
restrictions.
The San Diego County Water Authority and its 24 member agencies are working hard on securing and developing reliable new water supplies to meet future needs. But now, our region’s best defense against mandatory water use restrictions is YOU. Your efforts to save water make a difference by helping us keep as much water in storage as possible as our supplies are constrained. And saving more water isn't’t difficult. There are easy residential and business tips and incentives and programs to help you.
How much water does San Diego County receive from the State Water Project?
In 2007, supplies from the State Water Project accounted for about 34 percent of San Diego County’s water supply.
How much water do you want people to save, and for how long?
The goal is for the region to save an additional 56,000 acre-feet of water in 2008. To do this we’re challenging everyone in San Diego County to save what they can to help achieve our target of reducing our region’s water use by 20 gallons per person, per day. While it is crucial to strive for this water savings goal from now until our water supply conditions improve, we’re also encouraging people to make more water-wise practices part of their permanent daily lifestyle. For ideas on how you can save click here.
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How much water does the San Diego region use every year? What’s the average per capita water use?
In 2006 the San Diego region used 687,253 acre-feet of water. (An acre-foot is roughly 326,000 gallons, or enough water to supply two average families for a year.) Per capita use varies widely depending on local climate, rainfall levels, residence characteristics and other factors. Overall, however, the average per capita Municipal and Industrial water in the Water Authority service area in 2006 was 173 gallons a day. If everyone takes the “20-Gallon Challenge,” we could conserve about 10 percent of our water use.
What tips and programs are available to help residents and businesses save water?
The Water Authority, in conjunction with its member agencies, offers many tips and a number of conservation incentive programs that help cover the cost of water-efficient indoor and outdoor water appliances and devices. Please click here for water conservation incentives and programs. Incentive program information is also available by calling 1-800-986-4538.
Where else can I go to get more information on conservation tips and programs?
Here are several additional sources:
You may also want to check with your local water supplier. Contact information and often conservation tips is usually is included in your billing statements.
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If I live in a community with a homeowner’s association, do I have the legal right to replace grass in my front or back yard with a drought-tolerant landscape?
Yes. A new state law that went into effect on January 1, 2007, states that the architectural guidelines of common interest developments such as home owners associations, apartment projects, condominium projects, planned developments and stock cooperatives may not prohibit or include any conditions that have the effect of prohibiting low water-using plants. The property owner can replace their landscape if they want, at their own expense. However, HOAs do have the right to require association members to maintain their yards, whether those yards consist of grass or low-water-use landscapes.
Are farmers being asked to conserve more water?
Compared to many other regions where agriculture is an important part of the economy, water prices in San Diego County are significantly higher and constitute, in many cases, the largest cost in a farmer’s business. As a result, San Diego farmers are among the most water-efficient farmers and have made substantial investments in conservation. However, farmers will be asked to conserve water wherever possible.
How is local agriculture being impacted by current water supply challenges?
The impact of these supply restrictions is being felt by thousands of growers and agricultural water users in San Diego County. About 5,000 voluntarily participate in the Metropolitan Water District-sponsored Interim Agricultural Water Program (IAWP). This program allows farmers to purchase water at a reduced rate, and in exchange they agree to have their water cut back by 30 percent during supply shortages before residential and commercial supplies are reduced.
On January 1, 2008, these customers had their IAWP supplies cut by 30 percent. Growers are stumping trees or finding other ways to cut production to comply with the cuts.
Is San Diego County in a drought?
On June 4, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
signed an executive order declaring California to be in a
drought, the first such declaration since Governor Pete Wilson
issued one in 1991. But, droughts are no longer solely determined
by weather. We have entered an era where our imported water
supplies are also vulnerable to judicial or regulatory restrictions
that can have powerful impacts on water availability.
On April 24, 2008 the San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors approved notifying its member agencies that the region had entered into a “Level 1 – Drought Watch” condition according to its Model Drought Response Ordinance. This notification calls for the region to cut water use voluntarily by 10 percent. It was prompted by the fact that court-ordered restrictions on pumping in the Bay-Delta (put in place to protect Delta smelt) have significantly cut deliveries from the State Water Project. In addition, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California – the Water Authority’s largest supplier -- has insufficient supplies from the Colorado River and the Bay-Delta to meet water demands in 2008 and is withdrawing water from storage to make up for the shortfall.
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Who decides when mandatory conservation is needed to combat a drought?
If MWD does’t have enough water supplies available from imported supplies, storage or transfers to meet current-year demands for its member agencies – including the Water Authority – MWD will notify the member agencies that it will reduce their water deliveries. During such a shortage, the Water Authority will try to augment supplies on its own. If such supplies are unavailable or cost-prohibitive, the Water Authority’s Drought Management Plan provides a formula for allocating reduced amounts of water to each of its 24 member agencies. The decision to declare specific mandatory conservation measures would be made by local retail water agencies based upon each agency’s specific characteristics, including local weather conditions, locally generated and stored water supplies, and other factors.
To help provide consistency in how local retail water agencies respond to times of limited water supplies, the San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors approved releasing a draft model drought response ordinance. The Water Authority’s member agencies will be asked to use the model ordinance to update their own ordinances to help create similar drought response levels and water conservation requirements throughout the region. Click here for more information about the model ordinance.
What is the risk of, or potential for mandatory restrictions on water use?
We have entered a multiyear era of diminished
core water supplies, increased reliance on using stored resources,
and increased water system vulnerability to weather changes.
These conditions make it vitally important to keep as much
water in storage as possible this year and in years ahead.
If the dry conditions do not improve, there is a possibility that in 2008, local water agencies may face reduced water deliveries and will need to consider mandatory restrictions on water use. That timetable could be accelerated if legal challenges continue to result in reduced flows from the State Water Project. Water shortages could also be averted if hydrologic conditions improve and State Water Project operations are not significantly impeded through regulatory or judicial restrictions.
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Do dry conditions always mean supply shortages?
Not necessarily. Since the last drought, the Water Authority and MWD have invested billions of dollars in conservation programs, new water supplies and large-scale water infrastructure. These investments will help mitigate the impacts of dry years.
Can the dry conditions we are going through get worse?
Yes. We live in a semiarid climate prone to multiple dry years, so it’s possible the current dry conditions can continue for another year or several more years. The longer these conditions continue around California and the West, the higher the likelihood of reduced water deliveries to the region.
Does the Water Authority have a strategy or plan to deal with dry conditions?
Yes. In May 2006, the Water Authority board of directors approved a Drought Management Plan developed in concert with its 24 member agencies. The plan contains a drought response matrix that includes a list of water supply stages, actions available to the Water Authority during each stage, and guidelines for evaluating and taking such actions. The plan was formally activated in May 2007 in response to worsening water supply conditions. It can be reviewed at: www.sdcwa.org/manage/pdf/DroughtManagementPlanFinal.pdf.
Here is a quick summary of the plan’s stages:
Normal : Water supplies match demand, with some water left in local reservoirs for future use. Water agencies encourage wise water use and operate under standard procedures.
Voluntary Supply Management: MWD withdraws water to meet current-year demands. The Water Authority encourages increased voluntary conservation, monitors supply and storage conditions, and adjusts operations to maximize storage. This is the current stage.
Supply Enhancement : MWD reduces water deliveries. In addition to continuing its actions from the Voluntary Supply Management Stage, the Water Authority looks to buy temporary water transfers. Increased conservation may be required.
Mandatory Cutbacks: MWD and Water Authority have no more supply options, and reduce deliveries to member agencies. The Water Authority allocates deliveries by a preset formula spelled out in the Drought Management Plan. Conservation measures may become mandatory.
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Does the Drought Management Plan cover all of San Diego County?
The Drought Management Plan covers all communities within the Water Authority’s service area, which includes 920,000 acres (approximately one-third of the county’s area) and 97% of the county population. A map of the Water Authority’s member agencies is available at www.sdcwa.org/about/member-map.phtml. Each local water supply agency has responsibility for implementing drought management actions within its jurisdiction.
What is the Water Authority doing to minimize potential impacts from drought?
Enhancing water reliability has been a primary focus of the Water Authority for the past 15 years. At the time of San Diego’s last major drought (1987-1992), the region imported 95 percent of its water from a single supplier, MWD. Over-reliance on one provider made the San Diego region vulnerable to reductions in water deliveries.
Since then, the San Diego County Water Authority and its member agencies have significantly diversified and improved the reliability of the region’s water supply. Aggressive conservation programs, new local and imported supplies, and improved infrastructure provide the region with growing resources and flexibility to cope with dry conditions.
Over the last year, the Water Authority has moved 50,000 acre-feet of water into local storage, and another 51,000 acre-feet of water was saved region wide through conservation programs. In addition, the region will receive 71,500 acre-feet of new and reliable imported supplies this year from the historic Colorado River Quantification Settlement Agreement -- and those supplies will grow to 277,700 acre-feet annually by 2021.
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What is the current diversity of the San Diego region’s water supply?
Projections for 2007 estimate about 76 percent of San Diego County’s water supply this year will be imported from MWD, which gets its water from the Colorado River and Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta. In addition, The Water Authority is importing about 7 percent of its water through the Colorado River Quantification Settlement Agreement. About 17 percent of the region’s water comes from local water supplies, including groundwater, surface water, recycled water and water saved through conservation.
Is the Water Authority adding more water storage capacity?
Yes. First, the Water Authority is adding
more storage as part of its Emergency Storage Project, a system
of reservoirs, pipelines, and pumping stations that will provide
an additional 90,100 acre-feet of emergency water storage
capacity for use during disasters or other supply shortages.
Already complete are the Olivenhain Dam and Reservoir. The
reservoir stores 24,000 acre-feet of water, 18,000 of which
are available for emergencies. In addition, several pipelines
are being built to improve the ability to move water from
local reservoirs, and to make 21,000 acre-feet of water in
Lake Hodges available during emergencies. Also, plans are
under way to raise San Vicente Dam 117 feet to store an additional
152,000 acre-feet of water, 52,000 for emergencies and 100,000
for carryover storage – surplus water collected during
wet periods to be used during drier years.
What is the Water Authority doing to support seawater desalination?
Plans for a privately constructed desalination plant, scheduled to be operational by 2011, are under way in Carlsbad at the Encina Power Station. In addition, the Water Authority is studying other opportunities to develop desalinated seawater as a new water supply for San Diego County. This includes conducting a feasibility study of the potential to build a seawater desalination plant along the Camp Pendleton coastline. The Water Authority’s goal is to have seawater desalination provide 10 percent of the region’s water supply by 2020.
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Why do we need to get so much of the region’s water from imported supplies?
Unlike some other parts of Southern California, San Diego County is “hydrologically challenged” in that it has relatively few local water resources (surface and groundwater sources) to draw from. The Water Authority and its member agencies are maximizing the development of new local supply projects.
Can the Water Authority buy more imported water to help meet the region’s needs?
The Water Authority’s Drought Management Plan includes exploring the possibility of buying additional water through “spot” or short-term transfers of water. Through several such agreements the Water Authority has secured 30,000 acre-feet of additional water for use this year or in future years. The Water Authority has also asked the state Department of Water Resources to restart its Drought Water Bank – a program that helped provide needed supplies during the last drought. The ability to secure spot water transfers could be limited in the future by dry conditions or by judicial or regulatory restrictions on State Water Project operations.
Who can I contact if my questions are still not answered?
If you have questions regarding the Water Authority’s Drought Management Plan or Water Conservation Blueprint, please call the Water Authority at 858-522-6600. If you have specific questions about your water bill or water conservation in your residential or business area, please contact your local member agency.
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