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A new report shows San Diegans are still doing their part to conserve water, even though the state’s mandatory restrictions have been lifted. In May of last year, Governor Jerry Brown implemented mandatory 25 percent cutbacks for everyone across California. Then, this past May, he revised the across-the-board restrictions and decided that local water districts could set whatever conservation targets they felt were appropriate, if they had enough supplies to meet the demands.

When the Obama administration announced $30 million for Salton Sea restoration last month, local officials praised the federal government for finally starting to address the deterioration of California’s largest lake. But they also acknowledged $30 million isn’t nearly enough: It will ultimately take several billion dollars to avert an environmental and public health disaster at the Salton Sea. Now, Riverside County is working on a plan that could generate a lot more money.

 

Last month, California’s Water Resources Control Board took the easy way out on water conservation.

In 2015, California nearly met Governor Brown’s mandatory water conservation goal of 25% thanks to transparent monthly reporting and identifying profligate water wasters. The water board even fined a few of the worst water hogs to demonstrate how serious it was about getting urban Californians to live within their water means.

Wildfires have raged across California in recent weeks, burning tens of thousands of acres even before the traditional fire season begins. As we enter National Preparedness Month in September, the fires are a grim reminder that we must all take action to ensure that we are ready at the personal and community levels for the kinds of emergencies that could emerge at any time.Of course, wildfires are a top concern in San Diego County. We also face the potential for other kinds of emergencies, from earthquakes and drought to cyberattacks and hazardous materials spills.

 

Water agencies across California are relaxing water use restrictions imposed last year because of the drought. In many places, about half of a household’s water usage goes to caring for a lawn. During the drought, the state prohibited people from watering their lawns more than twice a week. Those restrictions are loosening, though, and people can now return to watering their lawns more often, but keeping track of what’s allowed can be tricky since there’s about two dozen different water agencies in the county and a patchwork of rules.