Through a partnership between the Vallecitos Water District, San Diego County Water Authority, and the County of San Diego, landscape makeover projects in unincorporated areas can take advantage of water-use efficiency rebates as well as professional expertise to maximize conservation and cost savings.
Through a partnership between the Vallecitos Water District, San Diego County Water Authority, and the County of San Diego, landscape makeover projects in unincorporated areas can take advantage of water-use efficiency rebates as well as professional expertise to maximize conservation and cost savings.
The Waterscape Rebate Program applies to residential, commercial, and agricultural customers who make landscape upgrades to improve the region’s climate resilience and reduce the flow of pollutants into waterways.
The landscape makeover project solicited input from homeowners to provide new amenities. Photo: Vallecitos Water District
Multiple homeowners associations within the Lake San Marcos area of the Vallecitos Water District have benefitted from qualifying projects. The scale of these projects and potential savings make them especially successful.
The most recently completed project within the Vallecitos Water District was undertaken by the Mall III Homeowners Association. HOA members had discussed the idea for nearly 15 years. The availability of the County and Vallecitos Water District support helped determine whether the makeover would be effective and cost-neutral.
“This has been a terrific partnership between the County of San Diego, the San Diego County Water Authority, the Vallecitos Water District, and the community of Lake San Marcos,” said Chris Robbins, public information/conservation supervisor for the Vallecitos Water District. “This story focuses on the Mall III Homeowners Association, but the Panorama HOA and Sunrise Pointe HOA already participated in the program. Two other associations, Fairway Knolls and Fairways HOA, are currently in the process right now. All these HOAs will be saving water and money, while also improving the water quality of Lake San Marcos.”
The Mall III HOA landscaping before undertaking its recent makeover project. Photo: Vallecitos Water District
Mike Kesler, Mall III HOA Board President, said getting an internal consensus among their homeowners through actively soliciting ideas from homeowners to learn what was important to them was critical in completing this project.
“We found some folks wanted trees. Other folks didn’t want trees because they would block the view,” said Kesler. “Knowing that ahead of time and being able to deal with that in the plan made it easier for people to vote yes on the project. And I think that’s important.
“It took us quite a while to get to a layout that accomplished our goals of saving money and beautifying the area that was net zero from a cost standpoint.”
New pathways and riverbeds to channel water runoff help protect area watersheds. Photo: Vallecitos Water District
To make applying for rebates easier for large landscapes, the County added a Landscape Optimization Service, a unique technical assistance program for large-scale landscaping projects. The program helps applicants with large landscapes, such as HOAs and commercial properties, to navigate the requirements, overcome any barriers, and maximize their rebate eligibility.
In addition, the Vallecitos Water District offers its customers a free assessment of current water use to determine whether investments in irrigation upgrades could be helpful to help HOA boards and other decision-makers determine whether their investment in landscaping projects are cost-effective.
“It’s been a great program for us to pursue and to implement, ” said Mall III HOA Board Member Dave Engel. “We had a need to save water, and to do it in a smart way, which is what this rebate program allows. When those two come together, I think it’s a good match.”
Rebate programs helped to make the Lake San Marcos Mall III HOA project cost-neutral for homeowners. Photo: Vallecitos Water District
Rebate amounts can vary. Multiple rebates can be stacked together, including $3 per square foot for turf replacement, $60 per smart controller station, $65 per rain barrel and up to $450 per cistern. The County of San Diego offers $1 per square foot for landscapes planted with California native plants.
Water customers in unincorporated San Diego County can determine their eligibility at: SanDiegoCounty.gov/WatershedRebates. More information on the Landscape Optimization Service can be found here. The program is actively recruiting new participants.
The Waterscape Rebate Program helps protect local waterways by reducing pollutants that enter storm drains. When irrigation systems overflow from landscaping, runoff may carry pollutants like pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers into the storm drain system and cause the same negative effects as runoff from rainfall. Reducing turf helps reduce irrigation use and runoff. HOA landscapes are potentially significant contributors.
Learn more about the County of San Diego Watershed Protection at its website.
(Editor’s note: The Vallecitos Water District is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the San Diego County region.)
Vallecitos Water District Operations and Maintenance Manager Ed Pedrazzi is the ACWA 2023 “Excellence in Water Leadership” award winner. Pedrazzi received his career honor at the Association of California Water Agencies annual conference on May 9.
The award recognizes individuals who have “made a remarkable and visible contribution to the enhancement, protection, or development of water resources in California,” according to ACWA.
Vallecitos Water District Operations and Maintenance Manager Ed Pedrazzi is the ACWA 2023 “Excellence in Water Leadership” award winner. Pedrazzi received his career honor at the Association of California Water Agencies annual conference on May 9.
The award recognizes individuals who have “made a remarkable and visible contribution to the enhancement, protection, or development of water resources in California,” according to ACWA.
Vallecitos Water District Operations and Maintenance Manager Ed Pedrazzi receives his ACWA 2023 “Excellence in Water Leadership” award. Photo: ACWA
Pedrazzi was nominated by his peers for his efforts toward improving operations and safety at the Vallecitos Water District as well as his dedication to public service.
“When I started here we were a very small district,” said Pedrazzi. “There were only about 50 employees. We’re over 100 employees now. We serve 96,000 customers over 40 square miles. To me, it’s a fantastic place to work. I love it, love coming to work every day. Vallecitos is more than just a job to me. It’s a career and it’s a family.”
Pedrazzi has worked for the Vallecitos Water District 34 years. In his current role, Pedrazzi manages six operations departments. He began in 1989 on a construction crew, transferring a year later to the Water Systems Operations department. He quickly worked his way up through the department and was promoted to his current position as Operations and Maintenance Manager in 2014.
Pedrazzi’s career in public service is devoted to protecting public health by working toward the best and safest water quality possible. He is also responsible for the operations of the wastewater system, striving to protect the public from any harmful wastewater discharges or leaks.
Ed Pedrazzi working on water quality in 2001. Photo: Courtesy Ed Pedrazzi
“The entire District has always taken water quality as job one. Everything that we do is to protect the public,” said Pedrazzi.
He and his team work diligently to track the District’s water usage and devise ways to stop water loss. Recently, Pedrazzi worked with a contractor to perform water main flushing services to minimize water loss via storm drains.
Pedrazzi addresses the District’s infrastructure needs by increasing maintenance where it is needed and developing the District’s Asset Management Program with the Engineering Department.
Pedrazzi researched sonic technology to address algae issues at both the Mahr Reservoir and South Lake Reservoir. By implementing this solution, Pedrazzi improved water quality and protected the environment and nearby wildlife habitat. The District has been honored with national and state awards for Pedrazzi’s innovative approach.
Ed Pedrazzi (far right) in 1996 with brother-in-law Jon Sherwood (second from right) and Vallecitos Water District employees Joe Lomeli and Rocky Eltzroth. Photo: Courtesy Ed Pedrazzi
Pedrazzi plays a key role in the District’s safety training and emergency response. He serves on the District’s Hazardous Materials team and can be called on as an incident commander to run the District’s Emergency Operations Center during large-scale incidents such as wildfires. Pedrazzi has played a role in every major emergency operation at the District since 1989.
Pedrazzi also devoted his time to training the next generation of water and wastewater professionals. He taught courses at Palomar College, serving as program coordinator for 15 years. He is active with the California-Nevada Section of the American Water Works Association, and task forces including the North County Operating Heads Group, the Water Agency Emergency Collaborative and the San Diego Regional Internship Program, where he is a founding member.
He assists other staff with school and public tours of District facilities and had the opportunity to educate exchange students from Iraq about water conservation in California.
In conjunction with the award, Pedrazzi received a grant of $5,000 to donate to a nonprofit organization. Pedrazzi selected the California Farm Water Coalition, whose mission is to inform the public about agricultural water use and advocate for environmental safety.
Pedrazzi comes from an agricultural family as his father operated a farm in Salinas, California. The family’s farm currently grows strawberries after previously farming small white beans and alfalfa hay.
ACWA is the largest statewide coalition of public water agencies in the country. Its more than 460 public agency members collectively are responsible for 90% of the water delivered to cities, farms, and businesses in California. Its mission is to provide comprehensive leadership, advocacy, and resources for California public water agencies to ensure a high-quality and reliable water supply in an environmentally sustainable and fiscally responsible manner.
(Editor’s note: The Vallecitos Water District is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the San Diego County region.)
In honor of Public Service Recognition Week, the Vallecitos Water District is announcing an event to honor former Board Member Margaret E. “Betty” Ferguson and the 1946 Jeep (Willys) CJ-2A she enjoyed driving. The event will take place on Wednesday June 21, 2023, at 4 p.m.at the VWD Office located at 201 Vallecitos de Oro in San Marcos and will also include an unveiling of the Jeep.
The San Diego County Water Authority and 13 of its member agencies offer growers a special agricultural water rate program: providing lower-cost water in return for lower reliability.
The Water Authority’s Board of Directors approved the Permanent Special Agricultural Water Rate Program (PSAWR) in 2020. It helps support commercial farms driving the economic engine of rural San Diego County. PSAWR gives farmers a choice of what level of water service works best for their operations.
The San Diego County Water Authority and 13 of its member agencies offer growers a special agricultural water rate program: providing lower-cost water in return for lower reliability.
The Water Authority’s Board of Directors approved the Permanent Special Agricultural Water Rate Program (PSAWR) in 2020. It helps support commercial farms driving the economic engine of rural San Diego County. PSAWR gives farmers a choice of what level of water service works best for their operations.
Although San Diego County’s economy is best known for tourism and biotechnology, agriculture accounts for $2 billion yearly in regional economic activity, according to the most recent county assessment.
Vallecitos Water District is among the PSAWR participating agencies, working with growers like Hamid Pezeshkian of Flametree Farms in Vista. Pezeschkian is among 2,000 growers enrolled.
San Diego County production is largely the combined result of more than 5,000 family farms like Pezeshkian’s operation – the most of any county in the United States. In fact, 69% of all San Diego County farms are smaller than nine acres. Innovative practices – including water-use efficiency measures – allow local farms to be productive by focusing on high-value crops.
When he learned about the PSAWR program through the Vallecitos Water District, Hamid Pezeshkian discovered additional options plus a support system to help guide him through the process. Photo: Vallecitos Water District
Originally from Iran, Pezeshkian grows citrus, avocados, and various fruits including passion fruit, dragon fruit, and pomegranates, at his small permaculture farm with 500 trees.
“Planting a diverse range of fruit trees, plants, and cover crops as well as a variety of animals and species that coexist together allowing for a prosperous and healthy ecosystem and healthy soil,” explains Pezeshkian.
Water conservation is integral to his operation and an ongoing learning process. Flametree Farms has upgraded its irrigation systems, is implementing rainwater collection systems, and aggressively uses organic compost to keep soil soft and help it retain water. When he learned about the PSAWR program through the Vallecitos Water District, Pezeshkian discovered additional options, plus a support system to help guide him through the process.
“The Vallecitos Water District has been incredible to work with,” said Pezeshkian. “They’re encouraging, they’re positive, and they’ve got an amazing smile when you meet them. They are always there to provide you with guidance and information when you need it.”
Pezeshkian found his best fit by qualifying as an organic producer.
“The Organic Program definitely appealed to me,” he said. “It was the taste of these oranges that made me realize that there’s something really special here in the soil. We put not a single drop of any sprays. These trees are just doing amazing, they’re producing, and I can’t wait to continue to go this path and bring healthy nutritious organic food to the community here and share it with my friends and family.”
Flametree Farms has upgraded its irrigation systems, is implementing rainwater collection systems, and aggressively uses organic compost to keep soil soft and help it retain water. Photo: Vallecitos Water District
Agriculture directly employs 56,000 people in San Diego County, including the second-largest number of farms operated by women and the largest number of part-time farmers in the U.S. Along with avocados, San Diego County farmers rank first in the nation in the production of nursery crops, and in the top five producers nationwide of lemons, limes, guavas, pomegranates, and macadamias.
In exchange for lower priced water, participants agree to have reduced water service when the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California cuts supplies to San Diego County. In turn, the Water Authority can reallocate those supplies as needed to commercial and residential customers who pay for full reliability benefits.
(Editor’s note: The Vallecitos Water District is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the San Diego region.)
Fix a Leak Week is an opportunity for all water users to repair leaks and save our most precious resource. The week (March 20-26) is a reminder every March to check indoor and outdoor plumbing systems for costly, wasteful water leaks.
Increasing awareness of opportunities to repair leaks is supported by the San Diego County Water Authority and its 24 member agencies, and by other regional WaterSense partners throughout North America.
“While Fix a Leak Week is a reminder to save water by repairing leaks, San Diegans continue to be WaterSmart by upgrading plumbing devices with high-efficiency toilets and low-flow showerheads, and by using smart irrigation controllers that automatically adjust with the weather,” said Water Resources Specialist Debby Dunn, with the San Diego County. “We encourage residents and businesses to take advantage of the rebates available to save water indoors and outdoors.”
Minor water leaks account for more than a trillion gallons of water wasted each year in homes across the United States. For example, repairing a leaky toilet can save up to 500 gallons of water a day. In just a month, that’s enough to fill a backyard swimming pool.
According to the EPA, an average household’s leaks can account for nearly 10,000 gallons of water wasted every year. Homes with easily correctable leaks can waste 90 gallons or more per day. By fixing easily correctable leaks, consumers can save water cut an average of 10% off their monthly water bill.
Adding water efficient upgrades will help meet long-term regional conservation goals. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority
The Water Authority has partnered with San Diego Gas and Electric to install nearly 4,000 WaterSense-labeled showerheads and 2,213 water-efficient toilets for residents. A $3 million grant from the California Department of Water Resources Urban Community Drought relief grant program will fund the installation of 7,300 additional toilets and smart irrigation controllers. The upgrades will save about 6,000 acre-feet of water. Replacing inefficient or leaking toilets with high-efficiency models reduces water use by 60%.
The Vallecitos Water District added a new video for 2023 to its award-winning series helping customers find and fix leaks to save water and money. This year, Vallecitos Water District asks viewers to take the “10 Minute Challenge.”
The Sweetwater Authority is offering tips for consumers and rebates of up to $75 for leak repairs made through June 30. Consumers can schedule a free water audit by calling the Water Efficiency Hotline at 619-409-6779 or email waterefficiency@sweetwater.org.
The Sweetwater Authority also offers customers a $75 rebate to replace or install a new pressure-reducing valve at their home. The valves help to address high pressure that can cause increased wear on fittings, making them more prone to leaks.
A rebate of up to $100 is also available for qualifying leak detectors and flow monitors, which can alert customers to potential leaks through an app on their smartphone. Check out all the water efficiency rebates: www.sweetwater.org/rebates.
Minor water leaks account for more than a trillion gallons of water wasted each year in homes across the United States. Photo: Rajesh Balouria
The Otay Water District offers helpful tips to fix leaks and save water on its website and its social media, including:
Leaky showerheads or dripping faucets are often easy to fix, requiring common tools and hardware that can pay for themselves in water savings. How much? According to the EPA Fix-A-Week-Leak website, each average household with unaddressed leaks can account for 10,000 gallons of water loss every year, enough to wash 300 loads of laundry.
Investing just 10 minutes to perform a quick search of your home and fixing them can save an additional 10% on your water bill.
Check WaterSmartSD.org for tips and for more information about Fix a Leak Week.
To educate water users and promote the importance of repairing leaks to conserve and protect the water supply, Fix a Leak Week was created in 2009 by the Environmental Protection Agency WaterSense program.
(Editor’s note: The Vallecitos Water District, Otay Water District and Sweetwater Authority are three of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the San Diego County region.)
Forecasts of a hotter, drier climate for the Southwest U.S. make every effort to save water critical. A new program now available intends to do just that for residents in parts of Southern California. The San Diego County Water Authority, in collaboration with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, are offering free indoor and outdoor residential water efficiency use surveys.
Forecasts of a hotter, drier climate for the Southwest U.S. make every effort to save water critical. A new program now available intends to do just that for residents in parts of Southern California. The San Diego County Water Authority, in collaboration with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, are offering free indoor and outdoor residential water efficiency use surveys.
The surveys, in-person and virtual, are available within MWD’s service area, including San Diego County.
“The survey is a free, easy, tool that can show you what small changes can be made which will lead to long-term savings,” said Joni German, a water resource specialist at the Water Authority.
She said the surveys are scheduled on a first-come, first-serve basis. After filling out an online application the next step is scheduling a visit from a certified landscape auditor.
Not only do residents save our most precious resource, they also save money.
Vallecitos Water District customer Michael Berry took advantage of the program because he wanted to do more to save water. Even though Berry had previously replaced his grass with artificial turf, he said he learned how to save even more water after the survey.
“What I learned primarily is how to improve my irrigation system from spray-based systems to a drip based system,” said Berry. “That’s the primary thing I’ll fix going forward.”
An outdoor survey includes an evaluation of the water meter to check for leaks along with zone information on the homeowner’s plants. During this process the homeowner will take the surveyor around areas with irrigation, divided into sections or “zones.”
Inspections will be done on each zone to determine whether the current irrigation system in place is operating at peak efficiency. The water meter can be utilized in seeing any unusual increase of water usage without the homeowner’s knowledge which would indicate a leak in the irrigation system.
In Berry’s case, the surveyor performed a check up on potential irrigation problems such as valve malfunctions, pressure, sprinkler alignment, drainage leaks and anything else that might reduce efficiency or indicate overwatering. The presence of leaks or blocks in the valves and using spray water instead of drip irrigation are just a few elements the surveyor warned Barry could negatively impact his water savings.
“One of the specific things that the surveyor helped me with was the valve maintenance, making sure that every 6-12 months you have to clean the valves out to make sure they’re not getting impeded,” Berry said.
Once the survey is completed, participants receive a written report along with irrigation efficiency recommendations, and information on financial incentives to offset the cost of recommended improvements.
“It’s a good way to get a new perspective for anyone who does their own landscaping work and is curious about their water usage,” Berry said. In his case, Berry was able to make a plan to improve the water saving practices he already has in place.
“Spray system is where most of the problem I need to solve exists,” he said. “The spray system I have was spraying a lot of dirt areas which aren’t really helping the plants and tree. The second problem is the system is hard to control in terms of the amount of water that I want to put on over a period of time.”
Water efficiency inspections can also be performed on larger commercial landscapes. Schedule your free survey here: www.waterefficiencysurvey.com/.
(Editors Note: The Vallecitos Water District is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the San Diego County region).
