Southern California areas told to cut water use by 35% finished June on track to stave off an outdoor watering ban.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California supplies those communities in Ventura, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties with Northern California water delivered by the State Water Project. After a record dry start to the year, the state limited its deliveries to just 5%.
The outlook for California’s drought is grim.
The first five months of the year have been the driest on record. Snowpack in the mountains, at its usual April 1 peak, was the smallest it’s been in seven years. Reservoirs are hovering near historic lows for the season, including Lake Shasta, the state’s largest.
Almond producer David Phippen didn’t need to hear the latest predictions from agriculture economists to know that his industry was on the verge of losing its premier position in the global market.
He saw it coming during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when oceanic carriers discovered they could make twice as many annual round trips — and higher profit margins — by sending empty containers back to Asia to pick up more goods for export instead of waiting in port here to be loaded with his almonds. Almond exports are down by about 13% this year, industry officials said.
The City Council Tuesday will consider instituting water conservation efforts by declaring a Stage II Moderate Water Shortage.
If the council makes the declaration, city water customers would be required to refrain from landscape watering except between 9 p.m. and 8 a.m., equip any hose with a shutoff nozzle and promptly repair all leaks in plumbing fixtures, water lines, and sprinkler systems.
Last month, the federal government dropped a bombshell on the states that share the Colorado River.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation gave Colorado and the other six states in the basin just two months to come up with a plan to drastically reduce the amount of river water they use. If they don’t, the federal government has threatened to use its emergency authority to make the cuts it feels are necessary.
A plant that removes salt from water is now running in Menifee, giving officials another tool to reduce their reliance on imported water as California’s drought continues.
The Eastern Municipal Water District opened its third groundwater desalination plant, the Perris II Groundwater Desalination Facility, on Thursday, June 23. The plant will remove salt from underground water basins tapped by wells in Perris — nearly 5.4 million gallons of water per day, according to the water district.
Once your WaterSmart Living Landscape design starts coming together, pick your plants for each water-use category to ensure you meet your WaterSmart water conservation goals. Focus on local native plants or plants from similar climate regions.
Once you’ve chosen your plant types, there are additional important considerations.
Design for mature plant size: Allow enough space for the plants you select to grow to their full size to avoid overcrowding or the need for excessive pruning.
Growing conditions: Select plants suited for your microclimate, soil type, and drainage to achieve optimum plant growth.
Even the strictest drought restrictions allow for watering trees on residential and commercial properties. Photo: Otay Water District
Tree placement: Typically, a planting design will include a tree or two for shade. Placing a deciduous tree on the south or west side of your home will shade your house during the summer to keep it cool and allow more light and sun exposure in the winter. Keep trees at least 10′ from foundations. In fire hazard areas, trees should be placed, so the mature canopy is at least 10 feet away from any structures.
Shrub placement: Shrub and groundcover planting is typically designed with various heights. Medium size (three to four foot) shrubs are usually placed closer to the house to create a “foundation” or backdrop. Smaller shrubs are then placed in front of the foundation planting and low groundcovers in the area closest to the sidewalk or street.
Accent shrubs can provide a unique texture, color, or flowers. Place them so they provide interest and focus views on locations in the landscape. Highlight your entrance walk with special accent plants. This places a higher emphasis on your entry, which is where you want visitors to be directed.
Be bold and have fun. Don’t be afraid to express your individual tastes.
Determine water use before choosing plants for your new sustainable landscaping. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority
Water has been a precious resource throughout history in arid regions of the world. This perspective has been integrated into Mediterranean landscapes by using water only in the most important areas.
If you have some high water use plants you particularly want to include, they can be used. Strive to include no more than 10% high water use plants or water features in your landscape, so choose carefully.
If you choose to include plants not classified as very low or low water use, be sure to group these moderate or high water use plants together. Grouping plants of similar water use together, known as planting in hydrozones, makes it easier to irrigate efficiently by letting you concentrate additional water only where it is needed.
Higher water use plants should be on a separate irrigation valve so you can water them differently than the rest of the garden.
Mediterranean landscapes also historically used water features for a pleasant and calming sound. The water area of the fountain will lose water at about the same rate as cool-season turf grass or another high-water use plant. By minimizing the square footage of open water, a water feature can fit well into the WaterSmart landscape.
Limit the amount of turf in your design as much as possible. If you choose to incorporate turf, consider a warm-season turf that uses less water than traditional cool-season turf. Warm-season turf such as Hybrid Bermuda or UC Verde Buffalo Grass thrives in the hot months of the year and naturally go dormant in winter. Another less thirsty grass to consider is Carex praegracilis or California Field Sedge.
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(Editor’s Note: The San Diego County Water Authority and its 24 member agencies offer programs, resources, and incentives to improve water-use efficiency for residential, commercial, and agricultural users. WaterSmart choices are a way of life in the region. Stay WaterSmart San Diego! For more water-use efficiency resources, go to WaterSmart.SD.org.)
Our investments to protect San Diego County from the harsh effects of the worst drought in 1,200 years continue to pay off. Last week, the San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors unanimously adopted a resolution reaffirming our commitment to water conservation after we were joined by California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, and many regional leaders to commit to additional water-saving measures that stretch our limited resources.
My sincere thanks go out to Secretary Crowfoot and Mayor Gloria for their leadership, as well as the many other civic and business leaders who joined us to promote the Summer of Water Savings. We are proud to have coordinated regional efforts to maximize San Diego priorities and efficiencies within the San Diego County economy and quality of life.
The list of supporting organizations includes the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, the San Diego County Farm Bureau, the San Diego Tourism Authority, Biocom California, the South County Economic Development Council, the East County Economic Development Council, the Industrial Environmental Association, the Asian Business Association, the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, the Building Industry Association of San Diego, the San Diego Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, and the Building Owners and Managers Association.
I’m also grateful to every San Diegan who helped reduce per capita water use in our region by more than 40% over the past three decades. We have made water conservation a way of life — but the fact is that we can and should do more. We don’t know what the future may bring. The water we save now, the more we will have if conditions worsen.
We are committed as a region to answering the Governor’s call to step up conservation efforts in the face of extreme hot and dry conditions statewide. We are collaborating with the Department of Water Resources’ Save Our Water program, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, and our 24 member agencies on public outreach and education efforts this summer to stop water waste and increase conservation efforts to stretch our water supplies.
We also are extremely proud of the investments our member agencies are making in water repurification projects that will sustain our region in the future. It is through forward-thinking projects like these, combined with our historic water conservation agreements, that we will continue to lead California in water supply reliability and conservation. And our success in this generational mission is a model for how to sustain the long-term health of our communities, farms, environment, and economy.
Edwin McBride decided 20 years in the U.S. Navy wasn’t enough time in the water, so he dove into the SkillBridge Program to intern at the San Diego County Water Authority. The program is helping military veterans transition to career-track training opportunities, including work in the water and wastewater industry.
For Georg Kochi, tearing out his Koreatown lawn has been as much about spiritual growth as water conservation — a deep and sometimes playful exploration into habitat, rebirth and decay on the property where he lived as a boy and returned decades later as a retiree.
The parkway in front of his house in St. Andrews Square, for instance, was full of wildflowers this spring, but the colorful flowers have turned into dry, dirty-blond seed heads and stalks interspersed with clouds of blooming buckwheat, juvenile coastal live oak trees and waves of native grasses.
