Due to the persistence of California’s unprecedented megadrought, capturing rainfall when it occurs is a conservation priority. Several water districts in North San Diego County are offering discounted rain barrels.
The cost of water has over last two decades risen dramatically across San Diego County as a result of investments in desalination, ongoing maintenance, ever-increasing energy prices and unprecedented conservation.
As California enters a fourth straight year of drought, more residents are taking advantage of free, online webinars helping them create a beautiful, water-efficient outdoor landscape. New three-hour workshops are now scheduled through December, funded in part by the County of San Diego Watershed Protection Program.
Taught by local landscape professionals, upcoming webinars focus on specific landscape topics with a “do-it-yourself” approach. From plant choices and irrigation to design and maintenance, the webinars offer timely help on upgrading landscapes with low water use plants and other design touches.
“The workshops give people the skills and knowledge to create an outdoor space that is sustainable and water-efficient,” said Joni German, a water resources specialist for the San Diego County Water Authority. “Residents can also take advantage of other free WaterSmart resources, including rebates for replacing grass and other outdoor and indoor incentives.”
Registration is required for the online workshops. Weekday workshops are held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. and Saturday workshops from 9:00 a.m. to Noon. Register here.
Outdoor watering accounts for more than half of a typical household’s water use in California. The online classes can help residents create a drought-tolerant, water-efficient landscape with a design that maximizes enjoyment of the outdoor space.
Homeowners and businesses in San Diego County can receive between $2 and $4 per square foot to remove turf and replace it with low water-use plants suited to the hot and dry conditions that are common in our region. All customers are eligible for the base rebate of $2 per square foot; some agencies offer additional funding, including the City of San Diego and the County of San Diego.
Help conserve water by transforming your outdoor spaces into a WaterSmart Landscape. @sdcwa offers free do-it-yourself workshops taught local landscape design professionals. You can now watch recordings of past workshops too! https://t.co/4U0zuAc7gO pic.twitter.com/jrnELsKNsk
— San Diego County Sustainability (@SDCoSustainable) October 16, 2022
Rebates, classes and incentives available to all residents and businesses in San Diego County. Residents in unincorporated San Diego County, may be eligible for additional incentives through the Waterscape Rebate Program.
While San Diego County’s investments in supply reliability continue to protect the region, national weather models suggest drought will continue to strain water resources across the West and make water conservation a priority in 2023. Additional free, online WaterSmart landscape workshops are planned for 2023.
(Editor’s Note: The San Diego County Water Authority sustains a $240 billion regional economy and the quality of life for 3.3 million residents through a multi-decade water supply diversification plan, major infrastructure investments and forward-thinking policies that promote fiscal and environmental responsibility. A public agency created in 1944, the Water Authority delivers wholesale water supplies to 24 retail water providers, including cities, special districts and a military base.)
Even with the recent wet weather in San Diego County, climate change is rapidly accelerating in California, according to a new state report.
Alex Tardy, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, explained how that can affect the state’s water supply.
“Our long term deficits are still significant in Southern California and especially in Northern California. And the overall water supply being at its lowest state on record for the Colorado system and near record lows even for California,” Tardy said.
November 3, 2022 – The end of daylight saving time on Sunday offers residents a reminder to assess their outdoor watering needs and adjust their irrigation systems to reduce water waste – an especially important step as California enters a fourth straight year of drought. Plants simply don’t need as much water during cooler months, and they typically don’t need irrigation for several days after heavy rains.
When Rose Nelson camped along lower Rush Creek in the summer of 2017, the water was flowing as high and fast as anyone could remember. The rumble and roar of the creek, she said, was the joyful sound of nature healing. “It was the first high runoff after a long drought,” said Nelson, now the education director for the Mono Lake Committee, a nonprofit based in Lee Vining, California.
The San Diego County Water Authority and waterwise garden guru Nan Sterman have teamed up to offer a series of free public webinars designed to help San Diego County residents care for their gardens during a fourth straight year of severe drought.
The San Diego County Water Authority and waterwise garden guru Nan Sterman have teamed up to offer a series of free public webinars designed to help San Diego County residents care for their gardens during a fourth straight year of severe drought.
Starting at 7 p.m. on Nov. 2, Sterman will host periodic webinars during the fall and winter called “How to Drought-Proof Your Garden.” Registration is required and the next webinar is scheduled on Nov. 21.
The events include a short update on drought conditions, followed by survival strategies for landscapes and a question-and-answer session. The presentation focuses on how to use water wisely in landscapes, how to care for plants during drought, and how to create beautiful gardens that require little – if any – irrigation.
In addition, residents can follow Sterman and the Water Authority on social media for information about future webinars, which are scheduled for every few weeks through February, along with tips and resources for WaterSmart living.
“These webinars offer great opportunities for anyone who wants to maintain a beautiful and functional landscape that uses less water,” said Sandra L. Kerl, general manager of the San Diego County Water Authority. “In addition, we offer numerous resources and rebates to foster low-water lifestyles that will sustain our economy and quality of life for generations.”
About half of water used in homes is typically used outdoors, that makes landscape the biggest opportunity to reduce water use.
Sterman is a garden designer, author, botanist, and award-winning garden communicator who specializes in waterwise, sustainable and edible plants and gardens. She has written several books and numerous articles on gardening and teaches classes on gardening and WaterSmart landscaping. As a California native, she’s attuned to the seasons, soils, plants, and waterwise practices.
“I’m pleased to partner with the Water Authority to help residents learn to save water and money, while creating beautiful, flower-filled gardens that benefit the environment in many different ways,” said Sterman.
San Diegans have reduced their per capita water use by more than 40% over the past three decades, but extreme drought conditions underscore the need to continue to improve water-use efficiency, while maintaining the regional economy and quality of life.
There are many incentives for reducing the amount of water used in landscapes. For instance, homeowners and businesses in San Diego County can receive between $2 and $4 per square foot to remove turf and replace it with low water-use plants suited to the hot and dry conditions that are common in our region. All customers are eligible for the base rebate of $2 per square foot; some agencies offer additional funding, including the City of San Diego and the County of San Diego.
Rebates, classes and incentives available to all residents and businesses in San Diego County are at: www.sdcwa.org/your-water/conservation/.
October 26, 2022 – The San Diego County Water Authority and waterwise garden guru Nan Sterman have teamed up to offer a series of free public webinars designed to help San Diego County residents care for their gardens during a fourth straight year of severe drought.
Starting at 7 p.m. on Nov. 2, Sterman will host periodic webinars during the fall and winter called “How to Drought-Proof Your Garden.”
The events include a short update on drought conditions, followed by survival strategies for landscapes and a question-and-answer session. The presentation focuses on how to use water wisely in landscapes, how to care for plants during drought, and how to create beautiful gardens that require little – if any – irrigation.
Amid a tidal wave of bad news – from inflation and the war in Ukraine to climate change and divisive politics – there is one story that might trump all others in importance, and yet it receives the least sustained global attention: water.
