In the early 1990s, San Diego was dying on the vine, starved of water in a series of years long droughts.

The county, which relied almost entirely on imported water, had to cut back on 30% of its usage and was at risk of losing 50%.

At the last minute, a miracle saved San Diego — rain and snow in the desert replenished aquifers, saving the city from intense cutbacks.

But the water didn’t extinguish the passion of San Diegans, who after finding themselves in this situation, rallied together to find a way to become more self-sufficient, Jeremy Crutchfield, the water-resources manager at the San Diego County Water Authority, told Insider.