The Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation recently completed a major reduction in overall water usage through an aggressive conservation program, said Tribal Chairman Cody Martinez.

The program includes retrofitting irrigation equipment, removing and replacing water-dependent landscaping and increasing community awareness around the importance of water conservation. The program has reduced the Tribe’s reliance on groundwater at the golf course and resort by 25 percent, Martinez said. It has also allowed it to cut water use on properties within the Padre Dam and Otay municipal water districts by an average of 22 percent, he said.