‘Painful but Necessary’: San Dieguito Water District to Hike Water Prices
If you’re under the San Dieguito Water District, your water rates will increase by mid-summer following a unanimous board vote Wednesday evening.
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WaterSmart Makeover: A Low-Water ‘Mountain Glade’ In Encinitas
Oh, the things you do when you first buy a house that make you wish you’d known better. For Melanie and Rick Cullen, it was planting three liquidambar trees in their front yard around the time they moved into their Encinitas home back in 1986.
Agencies File Claims Against City of San Diego For Loss of Water From Lake Hodges
Two local water agencies are pursuing legal action against the City of San Diego over loss of access to water from Lake Hodges, resulting in the release of billions of gallons of water from Hodges Dam.
Rain Barrel Discount And Rebate Available Jan. 1 Through Feb. 27
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.
North County Water Agencies Offer Low-Cost Rain Barrels to Help Customers Save Water
Encinitas, CA — To encourage water conservation, Olivenhain Municipal Water District, San Dieguito Water District, and Santa Fe Irrigation District have partnered to offer discounted rain barrels to area residents. 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. Rain barrels ordered from January 1 to February 29 will be available for pick up at Solana Center for Environmental Innovation located at 137 North El Camino Real in Encinitas.
Water Authority Wins National 2023 EPA WaterSense Excellence Award
The U.S. EPA recognized the San Diego County Water Authority with a 2023 WaterSense Excellence Award for advancing water efficiency through its Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper program, better known as QWEL. The Water Authority received one of 25 Excellence Awards on October 5 at the national WaterSmart Innovations Conference in Las Vegas.
This is the fourth EPA WaterSense award won by the Water Authority. The 2023 award is for Excellence in Promotion and Outreach of the QWEL program. Since the early 1990s, the Water Authority has offered an array of programs and incentives to promote water-use efficiency, and the suite of offerings continues to evolve as needs and conditions change.
“Over the past three decades, the Water Authority has been dedicated to helping the San Diego region save water every day, in every way,” said Mel Katz, chair of the Water Authority Board of Directors. “Water-efficient landscaper trainings in English and Spanish are among the most impactful strategies to help our community thrive in a changing climate. We thank EPA WaterSense for its partnership and guidance as we advance water-saving practices that sustain San Diego County’s beautiful landscapes.”
Flo, the EPA WaterSense “spokesgallon” poses with the award received by the San Diego County Water Authority
The Water Authority has offered the QWEL certification program free of charge to people who live and work in the Water Authority’s service area since 2015. In 2022, almost 300 new participants were certified through the program and half of the QWEL-certified individuals attended webinars to renew their certifications. After conducting more than 25 in-person and online exams, there4 were nearly 460 certified participants for the year.
To reach San Diego’s Spanish-speaking residents, the Water Authority recruited and trained bilingual instructors and offered virtual training in Spanish, attended by more than 40 new participants.
San Diego County Water Authority Principal Water Resource Specialist Lisa Prus (L) Water Resources Specialist Debby Dunn (center) and Wenda Alvarez, with WSA Marketing, accepting the 2023 EPA WaterSense Excellence Award October 5, in Las Vegas.
In 2023, the Water Authority transitioned from QWEL to a new program to achieve similar goals, in partnership with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Through the California Landscape Contractors Association, MWD offers one-of-a-kind certification and education opportunities for landscape professionals in Southern California. The program combines the CLCA Water Management Certification Program with the Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper program to offer the landscape industry an opportunity to obtain two nationally recognized EPA WaterSense Professional Certifications with one course and one written test. New courses will be offered in the San Diego region starting December 2023.
WaterSense Excellence Award winners include member agencies
The EPA also recognized two Water Authority member agencies for for their support of WaterSense and water efficiency in 2022, including the San Dieguito Water District and the Vallecitos Water District. Collectively, the Excellence Award winners contributed to annual savings nationwide of 1.1 trillion gallons of water.
WaterSense, a voluntary partnership program sponsored by EPA, is both a label for water-efficient products, programs, and homes and a resource for helping consumers learn ways to save water. More than 2,100 manufacturers, builders, retailers, utilities, government, and nonprofit organizations partner with WaterSense to promote water-efficient products, homes, and programs.
“With extreme weather affecting water supplies and quality, saving this precious resource is more important than ever,” said Veronica Blette, Chief, WaterSense Branch. “The 2023 award winners helped Americans look to WaterSense and save not just water, but the energy required to heat and treat it, as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with energy use.”
Since 2006, over 40,000 certified water-efficient plumbing and irrigation products have helped consumers and businesses nationwide save 7.5 trillion gallons of water; the amount of energy needed to pump, treat, and heat water by 880 billion kilowatt hours; and $171 billion in water and energy bills. These savings also helped prevent 337 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, which is equivalent to planting 5.6 billion trees.
(Editor’s note: For more information about WaterSense, visit www.epa.gov/watersense. For rebates, classes, and water-saving tips go to: sdcwa.org/your-water/conservation/.)
Vallecitos Videos Win National EPA WaterSense Award
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency honored the Vallecitos Water District with a WaterSense Partner of the Year Award for its video series promoting WaterSense and water efficiency in 2022. Vallecitos was one of nine Partner of the Year Award winners across the U.S.
WaterSense is a voluntary partnership program sponsored by the EPA. It identifies and labels water-efficient products, programs, and homes to help consumers learn ways to save water. More than 2,100 manufacturers, builders, retailers, utilities, government, and nonprofit organizations partner with WaterSense to promote water-efficient products, homes, and programs.
Vallecitos produced twelve videos released monthly in 2022, based on the EPA’s monthly feature topics. Each video focused on educating consumers about creating a WaterSense home. Among the topics covered by the 12 videos in the series are bathroom water consumption, efficient energy use, and one of the favorites, the “Shower With Power” video released in September 2022.
The video series produced by the Vallecitos Water District public affairs team was distributed by the U.S. EPA WaterSense program to help educate the public about water conservation nationwide. The videos can be downloaded for free on the EPA WaterSense partner platform.
Vallecitos began using video in 2019 to document the district’s workforce and infrastructure improvements on its social media platforms and has also engaged the public with discussions of critically important water management issues. It has won multiple awards for its work.
“We rely on video as a powerful communication tool at the Vallecitos Water District,” said Chris Robbins, Vallecitos Water District Public Information/Conservation Supervisor. “It’s how people like to consume information today,” “We invest a great deal of effort to make sure each video is an effective resource. This award from the EPA affirms we’re taking the right approach.”
Vallecitos Videos Win National EPA WaterSense Award
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has honored the Vallecitos Water District with a WaterSense Partner of the Year Award for its video series promoting WaterSense and water efficiency in 2022. Vallecitos was one of nine Partner of the Year Award winners across the U.S. Awards were presented at the American Water Works Association Water Smart Innovations event in Las Vegas on October 5.
The Vallecitos Water District was one of nine Partner of the Year Award winners across the U.S. Awards were presented at the American Water Works Association Water Smart Innovations event in Las Vegas on October 5. Photo: Vallecitos Water District
WaterSense is a voluntary partnership program sponsored by the EPA. It identifies and labels water-efficient products, programs, and homes to help consumers learn ways to save water. More than 2,100 manufacturers, builders, retailers, utilities, government, and nonprofit organizations partner with WaterSense to promote water-efficient products, homes, and programs.
Vallecitos produced twelve videos released monthly in 2022, based on the EPA’s monthly feature topics. Each video focused on educating consumers about creating a WaterSense home. Among the topics covered by the 12 videos in the series are bathroom water consumption, efficient energy use, and one of the favorites, the “Shower With Power” video released in September 2022.
The video series produced by the Vallecitos Water District public affairs team was distributed by the U.S. EPA WaterSense program to help educate the public about water conservation nationwide. The videos can be downloaded for free on the EPA WaterSense partner platform.
Consumers turn to video for water education
The Vallecitos Water District has embraced video as an important communication tool with its customers. Photo: Vallecitos Water District
Vallecitos began using video in 2019 to document the district’s workforce and infrastructure improvements on its social media platforms and has also engaged the public with discussions of critically important water management issues. It has won multiple awards for its work.
“We rely on video as a powerful communication tool at the Vallecitos Water District,” said Chris Robbins, Vallecitos Water District Public Information/Conservation Supervisor. “It’s how people like to consume information today,” “We invest a great deal of effort to make sure each video is an effective resource. This award from the EPA affirms we’re taking the right approach.”
Vallecitos Public Information Representative Alicia Yerman collaborated with Beth Livingston and Veronica Blette of the EPA on the productions including scripting, storyboards, and visual elements. Vallecitos also offers live video of its board meetings and other public discussions on its YouTube channel.
San Dieguito Water District recognized as Excellence Winner
The EPA also recognized 25 Excellence Award winners for their support of WaterSense and water efficiency in 2022, including the San Dieguito Water District and the San Diego County Water Authority. Collectively, the Excellence Award winners contributed to annual savings nationwide of 1.1 trillion gallons of water.
WaterSense and its more than 2,000 utility, manufacturer, retail, builder, and other organizational partners make it possible for consumers and businesses to save water, energy, and money by producing and promoting water-efficient products, homes, and programs. Since 2006, WaterSense partners have helped save 7.5 trillion gallons of water and $171 billion on consumer utility bills.
WaterSense encourages everyday water efficiency
Each video focused on educating consumers about creating a WaterSense home. “Shower With Power” is one of the favorites, released in September 2022. Photo: Vallecitos Water District
WaterSense is a program sponsored by the EPA, designed to encourage water efficiency in the U.S. through the use of a special label on consumer products. The goal of the program is to protect the future of the nation’s water supply by encouraging a nationwide ethic of water efficiency to conserve water resources for future generations and reduce infrastructure costs.
The WaterSense label makes it simple to find water-efficient products, new homes, and programs meeting the EPA’s criteria for efficiency and performance. WaterSense-labeled products and services are certified to use at least 20% less water, save energy, and perform as well as or better than regular models.
(Editor’s note: The Vallecitos Water District and the San Dieguito Water District are two of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the metropolitan San Diego region.)
11 Billion Gallons of Water Released from Hodges Reservoir
Over the past year, eleven billion gallons of water have been wasted/released from the Hodges Reservoir.
The City of San Diego said it is under a state order to keep the water level low in the lake. Water districts said the city is to blame because the San Diego Public Utilities Department failed to maintain the dam for decades.
Mountains Inspire Winners of San Dieguito Water District 2023 Landscape Contest
Large trees were the driving force that led Encinitas homeowners to remove grass and create a vibrant, low-water use landscape. The waterwise transformation won the San Dieguito Water District 2023 Landscape Makeover Contest.
Rick and Melanie Cullen had a yard with grass with large shade trees. But the roots of their three large Liquidambar trees were damaging the driveway and the grass, which motivated the couple to remake their landscape.
Plants in beautiful colors that attract pollinators highlight the plant palette. Photo: San Dieguito Water District
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
