California fails to capture massive amounts of stormwater rushing off city streets and surfaces that could help supply millions of people a year, according to a new analysis released today.
KCAL News reporter Joy Benedict shows how saving rainwater plays a large part in conservation in Southern California.
In a matter of minutes Monday morning, communities across southeastern San Diego were transformed into disaster zones: Families fled their homes in chest-deep floodwaters; vehicles were swept downstream as roads became rivers; residents cried for help from their rooftops.
Three North San Diego County water districts have launched a combined effort to encourage residents to use rain barrels with a discount and rebate for their purchase Jan. 1 through Feb. 29.
Almost all of California is finally drought-free, after Tropical Storm Hilary’s rare summer drenching added to this winter’s record-setting rainfall totals. But despite all that drought-busting precipitation, California continues to capture only a percentage of that water. Much of the abundance in rain from Hilary ended up running off into the ocean — not captured or stored for future use, when California will inevitably face its next drought.
Santa Monica has been using a pioneering water recycling facility since November to capture rain and store it underground for future use. As Southern California has been experiencing seemingly constant rainfall, the city has been capturing stormwater, urban runoff, and municipal wastewater and purifying it for potable reuse. This first-of-its-kind facility is located beneath a parking lot and features a 1.5-million-gallon stormwater harvesting tank and a one-million-gallon-per-day advanced water treatment facility. The recycled water can be used for irrigation, toilet flushing in buildings that have dual plumbing, and to recharge groundwater aquifers.
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.
Every time it rains, Angelenos might be thinking: are we saving any of that rain water?
Thursday’s storm brought some much needed rainfall, but with a burgeoning drought, many Southern California residents are wondering if we benefitted at all.
On the rare and welcome occasions when San Diego County gets rainfall, the water runoff from hard surfaces around the home such as roofs and patios should be re-directed to your permeable landscaping. By capturing as much rainwater as possible in the soil, it is possible to build an ecosystem that can last through the summer months with minimal additional irrigation.
Approach your landscaping as a living sponge, holding water until it is needed. If more rain falls than can be absorbed, or if the soil is particularly impermeable, rainwater can be directed through landscaped areas to remove pollutants before it flows into storm drains and heads downstream.
Assess the areas where rainfall runs off hard surfaces to set up capturing tools. Photo: Rambold Heiner / Pixabay
Capture rainfall in three steps. First, check your roof to determine where precipitation is directed after it hits the surface. Does it fall into rain gutters, off the edge, or elsewhere? Second, choose how and where to hold excess rainwater based on this assessment. Finally, consider making upgrades like adding rain barrels or making changes in your landscaping. For instance, landscaping soil may need amendments to hold more water.
If your soil is more like a brick as with clay soils common in San Diego County, it will affect how landscaping is contoured to capture water. Adding soil amendments will help it become more like a sponge that retains water for drier weeks and month. If the soil doesn’t drain well, take special care to avoid drowning new plants.
When choosing landscaping plants, match them to the soil type. If the soil is sandy, look for plants with “dry feet” that prefer free-draining soil, If the soil is harder clay, look for plants that do not mind heavy soil.
Optimal landscape soil can capture rainwater and allow it to soak in completely in 24 to 48 hours.
Olivenhain Municipal Water District has partnered with the San Dieguito Water District, Santa Fe Irrigation District, and Carlsbad Municipal Water District to offer discounted rain barrels to area residents this winter. #cawater #CAdrought https://t.co/UF8klEpAAI #RainBarrels pic.twitter.com/tZuBsvK4h5
— San Diego County Water Authority (@sdcwa) December 5, 2021
Many homeowners also use rain barrels to capture rainfall before it reaches the ground so it can be released during dry times.
Olivenhain Municipal Water District has partnered with the San Dieguito Water District, Santa Fe Irrigation District, and Carlsbad Municipal Water District to offer discounted rain barrels to area residents this winter.
Rain barrels ordered by January 31, 2022 will be available for pick up at Solana Center for Environmental Innovation located at 137 North El Camino Real in Encinitas.
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.
For more information about rain barrels, and other conservation tips and rebates to create a WaterSmart home and garden, go to WaterSmartSD.org.
This article is part of a year-long series inspired by the 71-page Sustainable Landscapes Program guidebook. The Water Authority and its partners also offer other great resources for landscaping upgrades, including free WaterSmart classes at WaterSmartSD.org.
(Editor’s note: The Olivenhain Municipal Water District, the San Dieguito Water District, Santa Fe Irrigation District and the City of Carlsbad, are four of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the metropolitan San Diego region.)
The rainy season can be a mixed blessing.
If your home garden landscape is well designed to maximize rainwater storage, then rain is a blessing. If your landscape is poorly designed, or has too much impervious surfaces, then rain can be a curse.
Whatever your situation, however, take heart! Small adjustments can be made to prepare for the next storm, though some projects will take longer and require work done in the dry season.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
