Tag Archive for: California drought

New State Tax Break and Lawn Removal Rebates Save Money and Water

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October 17, 2022 – Fall is the perfect time to yank those thirsty lawns and install drought-tolerant landscapes with the help of cooler days and major financial incentives.

Homeowners and businesses in San Diego County can receive between $2 and $4 per square foot for removing grass and replacing it with low water-use plants that are better suited to withstand the hot and dry conditions that continue to hammer the West. All customers are eligible for the base rebate of $2 per square foot, but other agencies offer additional funding, including the City of San Diego and the County of San Diego. Click here for details: www.sdcwa.org/your-water/conservation/.

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California Approves Desalination Plant as Historic Drought Hits Water Supplies

/in , , /by /CNBCby Emma Newburger

California regulators this week approved a $140 million desalination plant that could convert up to 5 million gallons of seawater each day into drinking water, as the state grapples with a persistent megadrought and plummeting water supplies.

The state’s Coastal Commission on Thursday voted 11-0 to approve the Doheny Ocean Desalination Project in Orange County in Southern California. The plant could be functioning within the next five years and supply water for thousands of people in the South Coast Water District.

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Newsom Signs Legislation to Save Californians Money and Water

/in , , /by /ABC7 KRCRby Ashley Harting

Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new law on Wednesday to make it cheaper for Californians to replace their traditional grass lawns with more sustainable, drought-resistant plants. The focus behind this new law is to help Californians save water, and a big way they can do that is by opting for these more sustainable plants and landscaping.

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Four in a Row: California Drought Likely to Continue

/in , , /by /CalMatters by Rachel Becker

As California’s 2022 water year ends this week, the parched state is bracing for another dry year — its fourth in a row.

So far, in California’s recorded history, six previous droughts have lasted four or more years,  two of them in the past 35 years.

Despite some rain in September, weather watchers expect a hot and dry fall, and warn that this winter could bring warm temperatures and below-average precipitation.

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Shasta Lake Level Causing Far-Reaching Ripple Effects

/in , , /by /KXTL (FOX 40)by Dennis Shanahan

California’s largest reservoir, Shasta Lake, is located 175 miles north of Sacramento. But what happens there impacts farming throughout the entire Central Valley.

Shasta Lake is capable of holding 4,552,100 acre-feet of water, which is almost five times the capacity of Folsom Lake. When full, Shasta boasts 365 miles of scenic shoreline. But for those visiting the lake in recent months, it is impossible to ignore how that shoreline is shrinking. The water is about 150 feet below the ideal surface level.

“We’re coming out of the three driest years on record,” explained Don Bader, area manager for the Bureau of Reclamation. “So that’s a huge hit to our storage, as you can see.”

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Why Our Drought Isn’t Going Anywhere This Winter

/in , , /by /Voice of San Diegoby MacKenzie Elmer

The latest measurements from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows the American West is in for another dry La Niña winter, unwelcome news for the West currently struggling to keep flowing its main source of water: the shrinking Colorado River.

“That’s the worry in the present situation is that the odds now are now with La Niña are tilted against a really wet winter, at least in the southern half of California which of course has already been really dry,” said Dan Cayan, a research meteorologist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

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North County Water Agencies Offers Low‐Cost Rain Barrels to Help Customers Save Water

/in , , /by /Water News Network Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

To encourage water conservation as drought conditions persist, Carlsbad Municipal Water District, Olivenhain Municipal Water District, San Dieguito Water District, and Santa Fe Irrigation District have partnered to offer discounted rain barrels to area residents this fall. Collecting rainwater for future use not only can save drinking water and money, but also reduces irrigation runoff that can carry pollutants into local waterways and beaches.

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North County Water Agencies Offers Low‐Cost Rain Barrels to Help Customers Save Water

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Encinitas, Calif. — To encourage water conservation as drought conditions persist, Carlsbad Municipal Water District, Olivenhain Municipal Water District, San Dieguito Water District, and Santa Fe Irrigation District have partnered to offer discounted rain barrels to area residents this fall. Collecting rainwater for future use not only can save drinking water and money, but also reduces irrigation runoff that can carry pollutants into local waterways and beaches.

Although average rainfall in San Diego County is just under ten inches annually, even light rain can provide a sufficient amount of water for later use. For example, a roof with a 2,000‐square‐foot surface area can capture 300 gallons from only a quarter inch of rain.

Rain barrels at Solana Center

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Rain barrels ordered from October 1 to November 30 will be available for pick up at Solana Center for Environmental Innovation located at 137 North El Camino Real in Encinitas. Photo: Solana Center

Fifty‐gallon barrels are on sale for $97, with a final cost of $62 after a $35 rebate from water wholesaler Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Rebates on rain barrels and other water‐saving measures are available at www.socalwatersmart.com.

Rain barrels ordered from October 1 to November 30 will be available for pick up at Solana Center for Environmental Innovation located at 137 North El Camino Real in Encinitas. Visit www.solanacenter.org/rain‐barrels for more information and to order rain barrels.

Catching rain in barrels not only saves water for use in gardening and landscaping but also prevents rainwater from draining to the ocean and picking up contaminants along the way.

(Editor’s note: The City of Carlsbad, Olivenhain Municipal Water District, San Dieguito Water District and the Santa Fe Irrigation District are four of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the metropolitan San Diego region.)

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Proposed Surf Park in California Desert is Rejected by La Quinta City Council

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

A developer’s proposal to build a surfing lagoon in the Coachella Valley desert has been rejected by the city of La Quinta after residents raised concerns about noise, lighting and the resort’s substantial water footprint in a time of severe drought.

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Fall Water-Saving Tips

/in , , /by Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Water-saving actions by everyone in San Diego County during the current drought can help conserve more of our most precious resource.

While San Diego County continues to have enough water due to long-term investments in water sources and conservation, the region’s long-term supply reliability depends on a continued commitment to water-use efficiency indoors and outdoors by homes and businesses both large and small.

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