Free water use surveys offered through the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California provide both residential and commercial customers with recommendations to improve landscape and indoor water use efficiency. The surveys are available throughout Southern California, including San Diego County.
For much of the last 23 years, the Colorado River has been ravaged by unrelenting dryness, its reservoirs falling to their lowest levels since they were filled. New research shows that global warming is a major culprit, shrinking the river’s flow and robbing the region of a vast amount of water.
A team of scientists at UCLA estimated that from 2000 to 2021, rising temperatures led to the loss of about 32.5 million acre-feet of water in the Colorado River Basin, more than the entire storage capacity of Lake Mead, the country’s largest reservoir.
Phoenix sizzled through its 31st consecutive day of at least 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 Celsius) and other parts of the country grappled Sunday with record temperatures after a week that saw significant portions of the U.S. population subject to extreme heat.
The National Weather Service said Phoenix climbed to a high of 111 F (43.8 Celsius) before the day was through.
Five years from now, if all goes to plan, Arizona will have conserved 5 million acre-feet of water.
That’s enough to fill about 2.5 million Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Or about 70% of what the state is estimated to use in a year, from all sources.
Or a little less than double Arizona’s annual Colorado River allotment (that is, if we were getting our full allocation, which hasn’t happened in a while).
The drought-stricken Colorado River is in critical condition. Almost two years ago, the federal government declared the first ever shortage on the river, triggering cuts to water supplies in the Southwest. Today, the river remains unsustainably low. The Colorado is the lifeblood of the region. It waters some of the country’s fastest growing cities, nourishes some of our most fertile fields, and powers $1.4 trillion dollars in annual economic activity. The river runs more than 1,400 miles, from headwaters in the Rockies to its delta in northern Mexico where it ends in a trickle.
Floods and their consequences are a reality for many worldwide, including those living in California. This reality is evidenced by pictures of people stranded on roofs surrounded by water, people paddling down water-filled streets in makeshift boats, and farm fields and orchards covered in standing water. However, there is also growing acceptance that floods are natural, recurring events that have positive aspects, especially where they support migratory waterfowl, enhance fisheries, and sustain wetlands and their high diversity of organisms (Mount et al 2023).
The Imperial Irrigation District Board of Directors took a hard look at their On-Farm Efficiency Conservation Program (On-Farm) in the hopes that they can become more efficient at providing water efficiency savings for farmers.
IID Senior Program Manager Ben Brock, along with Water Department Manager Tina Shields, updated the Board of Directors on the lengthy and complicated process that the On-Farm program currently has perform in order to determine how much to pay farmers for the water they conserved during the IID Board of Directors meeting on Wednesday, July 26.
Part-time Windansea resident Brad Owens recently experienced a one-two punch that some others in La Jolla can empathize with. First, his water bills skyrocketed as much as 12-fold, even in a time when he wasn’t in San Diego. Then he learned his sewer rate for the coming year will be based on the water rate from that time, so his sewer bill will be 10 times its normal amount.
But perhaps more frustrating for Owens is the lack of information available about the policies and procedures of the San Diego Public Utilities Department, which handles water issues, and what can be done about unexplained rate spikes.
Free water use surveys offered through the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California provide both residential and commercial customers with recommendations to improve landscape and indoor water use efficiency. The surveys are available throughout Southern California, including San Diego County.
The San Marcos Unified School District took advantage of the opportunity for water use surveys at 17 of the district’s school sites. It is among the largest single regional customer survey to date.
Austin Black, water conservation specialist for WaterWise Consulting, oversees the audit project.
“We are auditing the irrigation system of all of the schools with more than one acre of landscape area [for this project],” said Austin. “The survey tests all the different irrigation zones, looking at the type of landscape and plant material, and weather factors. We take all that data and calculate potential water savings based on our recommendations.”
Recommendations may include converting to drip irrigation, installing smart controllers, and replacing grass with a WaterWise landscape with a more efficient watering system.
(L to R): San Marcos USD groundskeeper Xavier McCurry, Austin Black, and Arlene Acosta of WaterWise Consulting discuss the water audit. Photo: Vallecitos Water District
Surveyors also adjust existing sprinklers for maximum efficiency and compile a list of repairs and upgrades to improve water use efficiency.
“In our effort to be good stewards of all resources used by the district, the decision to participate was an easy one,” said Ted Norman, SMUSD executive director of maintenance and operations. “We will review all our options and implement as many of the recommendations as we can. It’s a win for everyone.”
Water Conservation Specialist Arlene Acosta of WaterWise Consulting assesses irrigation coverage at San Marcos Elementary School. Photo: Vallecitos Water District
In one example, the audit report provided to the district for the San Marcos Elementary School estimates that implementing the recommended water-saving measures can reduce landscape water use by approximately 252,000 gallons. Project cost savings are $1,363 annually. If similar savings are achieved at 17 schools, this reflects significant net savings to taxpayers.
“We will submit the reports, and the district can make the changes as they wish,” said Black. “The goal is to create water savings for the entire district and the [water] agency as well.”
MWD can assign a consultant to work with SMUSD and other customers after the audit is completed to help prioritize changes recommended in the survey. The consultant services are free.
Water Conservation Specialist Arlene Acosta of WaterWise Consulting conducts a residential audit. Photo: Vallecitos Water District
Homeowners can also take advantage of free surveys. Residential surveys look at both indoor and outdoor home water use.
“It’s a comprehensive survey checking for leaks and ways we can make the household more efficient,” said Black.
Along with irrigation improvements, the residential audit reviews the replacement of inefficient plumbing fixtures and other simple adjustments.
Customers of any of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies can visit the website waterefficiencysurvey.com. Enter home address to determine if your residence is located in a qualified area.
Austin Black with WaterWise Consulting monitors usage during a water audit at San Marcos Elementary School. Photo: Vallecitos Water District
A certified landscape irrigation auditor will schedule a survey and provide written recommendations for qualifying properties. Participants will receive a written report that includes the following:
Surveys are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. Applying does not guarantee a survey will be provided. Properties may only receive one survey for the life of the program. After filling out an online application the next step is scheduling a visit from a certified landscape auditor.
San Diego County residents can also take advantage of savings with rebates on a variety of water-saving technologies such as high-efficiency clothes washers and toilets, rain barrels and irrigation nozzles.
(Editor’s note: The Vallecitos Water District is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the San Diego County region.)
The Vallecitos Water District Board of Directors recognized students from district area schools for their excellence in the classroom in two separate contests: poster art for fourth graders and an essay competition for scholarships.
