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.
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
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.)
NOAA’s U.S. Spring Outlook indicates the abnormally wet winter will further improve drought across much of the western U.S. as the snowpack melts in the coming months. Winter precipitation, combined with recent storms, wiped out exceptional and extreme drought in California for the first time since 2020, and is expected to further improve drought conditions this spring.
Significant flooding in the western U.S., especially in California, followed another series of strong Pacific storms that battered the region in March, and piled on to an already historic snowpack.
NOAA’s U.S. Spring Outlook highlights temperature, precipitation, drought and flood predictions for April through June to help the nation prepare for potential weather and climate threats to lives and livelihoods.
“Climate change is driving both wet and dry extremes, as illustrated by NOAA’s observations and data that inform this seasonal outlook,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, and in support of the Biden Administration’s priority to tackle the climate crisis, NOAA will invest significant resources to build a Climate-Ready Nation that gives communities tailored information about changing conditions so that residents and economies are protected.”
March Snow Drought Update
While the Snow Piles Up Across California and the Great Basin, Snow Drought Concerns Have Popped Up in Parts of the Northwest and Southern Colorado
Get the full update: https://t.co/X5LjhaAj6g @NOAA @NOAAClimate @DRIScience @WRCCclimate @NWS @CnapRisa pic.twitter.com/mZBzKdT8gf
— NIDIS Drought.gov (@DroughtGov) March 16, 2023
On March 9, NOAA forecasters declared La Niña over. The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a climate pattern, based on changes in rainfall and sea surface temperatures across the equatorial Pacific Ocean, that influences temperature and precipitation around the world. La Niña occurs when ocean temperatures are cooler than normal and rainfall is reduced in the eastern to central Pacific Ocean.
“La Niña has finally ended after being in place nearly continuously for more than two years,” said Jon Gottschalck, chief of the operational prediction branch at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Weather Service. “ENSO-neutral — the transition period between El Niño and La Niña — is likely to continue into the early summer with elevated chances of El Niño developing thereafter. ENSO-neutral is factored into NOAA’s Spring Outlook.”
Moderate to exceptional drought coverage across the U.S. is at its lowest since August 2020 and is likely to continue improving, or end entirely, across much of California and the Great Basin. The spring wet season is expected to improve drought conditions across parts of the northern and central Plains. Current drought conditions in Florida are expected to improve or go away during the next three months.
Areas of extreme to exceptional drought across parts of the southern High Plains are likely to persist through the spring season, with drought also expected to develop into parts of New Mexico. Across parts of the Northwest U.S. and northern Rockies, drought conditions are also expected to continue. Drought may develop into parts of Washington state.
Above-average temperatures are favored for much of the southern and eastern half of the U.S. For April through June, the greatest chance for above-average temperatures exists from the southern High Plains eastward to Florida, and northward along the East Coast. Above-average temperatures are also likely for Hawaii and northern parts of Alaska. Below-average temperatures are predicted for the central Great Basin and the northern Plains.
The extended jet stream remains in place across the Pacific and favors an active storm track into next week. The @NWSCPC is highlighting high risk for heavy precip 3/21-3/27 #CAwx #CAwater #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/SgnuzN8Ca2
— CW3E Scripps (@CW3E_Scripps) March 14, 2023
Parts of central and southern California that were still reeling from heavy snowfall earlier this month received yet another powerful atmospheric river which exited the region on March 15. Flooding, landslides, power outages, and evacuations are among the many impacts residents faced from the recent storm. The above graphic depicts most of the state receiving between 300-600% of normal precipitation over the last seven days. — USDA Water and Climate Update
NOAA forecasters predict above-average precipitation this spring across the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley, and into parts of the mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Below-average precipitation is most likely for the Southwest and parts of the Pacific Northwest.
A new recycled water pipeline is being tapped by Olivenhain Municipal Water District customers for landscape irrigation.
Olivenhain Municipal Water District has successfully converted Westmont of Encinitas to recycled water for landscape irrigation. The assisted living facility is the first of many customers along the Manchester Avenue and South El Camino Real corridor to tap into the newly installed recycled water pipeline.
Encinitas, Calif. — Olivenhain Municipal Water District has successfully converted Westmont of Encinitas to recycled water for landscape irrigation. The assisted living facility is the first of many customers along the Manchester Avenue and South El Camino Real corridor to tap into the newly installed recycled water pipeline.
Additional customers along the corridor are working to convert their irrigation systems to accommodate the new recycled water supply, which will ultimately reduce demand for imported potable water by more than 27 million gallons every year. As the impact of California’s drought continues to be challenging, projects like this that help save potable water are even more urgent.
Despite a rainy and snowy winter out west, Lake Powell and Lake Mead, the reservoirs that provide water for 40 million Americans, are at record low levels due to the ongoing megadrought. Arizona is set to lose over 20% of its Colorado River water allotment this year alone. As Stephanie Sy reports, that’s leaving communities across the state scrambling to find alternatives.
Encinitas, Calif. — In order to promote outdoor water use efficiency, Olivenhain Municipal Water District, San Dieguito Water District, and Santa Fe Irrigation District invite members of the public to attend a free WaterSmart landscape design workshop on Monday, April 3, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The event will be held at the Encinitas Community and Senior Center at 1140 Oakcrest Park Drive in Encinitas.
Steve Sherman of California Landscape Technologies will provide an informative and interactive workshop that will feature methods to reduce outdoor water use and increase irrigation efficiencies. The workshop will provide homeowners simple, step-by-step approaches for creating attractive, water-wise landscapes that are easy to maintain.
Registration for the workshop is required at www.olivenhain.com/events.
This free two-hour workshop is offered through a partnership between OMWD, San Dieguito Water District, and Santa Fe Irrigation District.
After spending his weekdays with 25 energetic 5-year-olds as a kindergarten teacher, Nick Voinov needs a place and activity that provides respite. For decades, it’s been his garden.
Voinov, who lives in La Mesa with his wife, Joanna, and their three children, originally moved into his house in 1994 with friends. His mom, Janet, had bought it the year before. It’s across the street from the family home Voinov grew up in and where Janet still lives. Voinov bought it from her 10 years later when he and Joanna married. And he’s been working in that garden, now filled with a wide variety of succulents, for more than 20 years. It was only last year that he heard about Helix Water District’s WaterSmart Landscape contest. He entered and he won, receiving a $250 gift certificate to Walter Anderson Nursery.
(Editor’s Note: This is the fifth in an occasional series on winners of the annual WaterSmart Landscape Contest, conducted in partnership with the San Diego County Water Authority. To learn about entering the next contest, visit landscapecontest.com. For details on classes and resources through the WaterSmart Landscape Makeover Program, visit www.sdcwa.org/your-water/conservation. Landscape rebates are available through the Socal WaterSmart Turf Replacement Program at socalwatersmart.com.)
With recent storm systems that swept through the west, California has seen more precipitation this year than normal, bringing the water supply stored in reservoirs — both locally and across the state — up from historic lows to levels that are some of the highest in years.
And with drought conditions having improved in much of California, experts say that the amount of water captured from this year’s particularly wet winter could help ease the impact of hotter, drier weather in San Diego, as the state recovers its depleted water supplies.
The San Diego County Water Authority will host water leaders from throughout Southern California March 15 for the monthly meeting of the Colorado River Board of California. On March 14, before the formal meeting, CRB board members will tour projects in the region that promote water resiliency.
The CRB will consider the complex water supply issues facing the Southwest U.S. during its meeting. San Diego Congressman Scott Peters is also scheduled to address the CRB.
The tour is part of a new program implemented by CRB, under the leadership of Chair JB Hamby, Imperial Irrigation District’s representative, and Vice Chair Jim Madaffer, the Water Authority’s representative and Water Authority board member, to build greater awareness of each CRB member agency’s efforts to serve their region and manage their river supplies.
“The Colorado River Board is so important to ensuring California’s voice is heard on the river, especially during these difficult times as we work to find collaborative solutions to the river’s challenges now and into the future,” Madaffer said. “We look forward to showcasing the local supply projects, online now and planned, that create water resiliency locally, but that also reduce the demand on the river.”
The @sdcwa hosted #CRBTour highlighted two water supply projects: the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant and the East County Advanced Water Purification Plant (scheduled to be online in 2026.) https://t.co/tq7LCx0hKB #cawater #collaboration pic.twitter.com/ljYfQ0rYfb
— San Diego County Water Authority (@sdcwa) March 14, 2023
Established in 1937, the CRB is a state agency tasked with protecting the interests and rights of the state and its agencies in water and power resources from the Colorado River.
The Water Authority is a member of the CRB along with IID, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the Coachella Valley Water District, the Palo Verde Irrigation District, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the California Department of Water Resources, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. CRB representatives, including two additional members from the public, are appointed by the Governor.
The facility tour and meeting is a new CRB program under the leadership of Chair JB Hamby, Imperial Irrigation District’s representative, and Vice Chair Jim Madaffer (L), the Water Authority’s representative and Water Authority board member. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority
The CRB represents California in discussions and negotiations with the Basin states, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, governmental agencies at all levels, tribes, and Mexico regarding the management of the river.
CRB members on the tour will see two local water supply projects generating water now – the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant – and planned – the East County Advanced Water Purification Plant.
The seawater desalination plant, the largest in the nation, came online in 2015 and recently passed the milestone of producing more than one-billion gallons of water for the San Diego region.
The San Diego County Water Authority added desalinated seawater to its supply portfolio in 2015 with the start of commercial operations at the nation’s largest seawater desalination plant. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority
“The desalination plant is not only important to our region, but the Water Authority believes the plant could be part of an overall long-term solution to support Lake Mead, California’s critical river reservoir, under a proposal we are considering to expand the plant,” said Madaffer.
Now under construction, the East County Advanced Water Purification facility, or East County AWP, is a collaborative partnership between two Water Authority member agencies, the Padre Dam Municipal Water District and the Helix Water District, and the County of San Diego and City of El Cajon.
The plant is projected to generate a local, reliable and drought-proof drinking water supply utilizing state-of-the-art technology to recycle and reuse the region’s wastewater. The East County AWP is expected to produce 30% of East San Diego County’s water supply by early 2026, and is one of the innovative water purification facilities in the county either in operation or in development.
Scheduled to be operating in 2026, the East County AWP is projected to generate up to 11.5 million gallons per day of purified water— meeting approximately 30% of current drinking water demands for East San Diego County residents and businesses. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority
Following the facility tours on March 14, the CRB will hold its monthly meeting March 15 at the Water Authority’s Kearny Mesa headquarters in San Diego. The meeting is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. and is open to the public.
The @sdcwa is pleased to welcome water leaders from Southern California today for the monthly meeting of the Colorado River Board of California.
(Photo L-to-R: @bartfisher president, Palo Verde Irrigation District, @RepScottPeters and CRB Vice Chair @JimMadaffer) #CRBMeeting pic.twitter.com/u6yW1mNySt
— San Diego County Water Authority (@sdcwa) March 15, 2023
(Editor’s note: The Helix Water District and Padre Dam Municipal Water District, are two of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the San Diego County region.)
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