San Diego County Water Authority staff Thursday proposed increasing rates for its 24 member agencies by 5.2% for treated water and 3.7% for untreated water in 2023, citing inflation and increasing energy and Metropolitan Water District of Southern California costs.
Any WaterSmart landscape makeover starts with observing and recording your property as it exists today. Think of it as a bird’s eye view or satellite map showing your property’s boundaries and physical features. This becomes the basis of all your planning.
You need a few basic tools to draw your own plot plan. They include a tape measure for accurate measurements, a ruler to measure and draw straight lines, a clipboard, a pencil, and paper, preferably one-quarter inch grid graph paper.
Even if you don’t plan to install the whole project at once, you should create a complete master plan for your landscape, so the outcome is unified, including a WaterSmart planting and irrigation design. Graphic: San Diego County Water Authority
Now you have a road map of your landscape. Your future landscaping plans start with this baseline document.
As a part of creating a plan, take time to walk around your property during different times of day. Note areas that are sunny or shady in the morning and areas that are sunny or shady in the afternoon. When you start choosing your plants, make sure to select those appropriate to your garden’s sunlight patterns.
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(Editor’s Note: The San Diego County Water Authority and its 24 member agencies offer programs, resources, and incentives to improve water-use efficiency for residential, commercial, and agricultural users. WaterSmart choices are a way of life in the region. Stay WaterSmart San Diego! For more water-use efficiency resources, go to WaterSmart.SD.org.)
The Helix Water District Board of Directors honored East County student artists for their winning “Water Is Life” posters in an online awards ceremony during its May 2022 board meeting.
Southern California students in kindergarten through eighth grade are invited to participate in their regional water agency’s Student Poster Art Contest to increase awareness about water conservation. This year, 349 students from 22 schools within the Helix Water District submitted their posters depicting how to use water wisely, a 33% increase in entries from the 2021 competition.
First Place – Aiden Galaz, Vista La Mesa Academy, Grade 3. Photo: Helix Water District
Second Place – Charlotte Pierce, Christ Lutheran School, Grade 3Second Place – Charlotte Pierce, Christ Lutheran School, Grade 3. Photo: Helix Water District.
Third Place – Belen Cardenas Loera, Lighthouse Christian Academy, Grade 2. Photo: Helix Water District
Honorable Mention – Clare Brandt, Our Lady of Grace School, Grade 3. Photo: Helix Water District
Honorable Mention – Gabrielle Portilla, Lakeview Elementary Elementary, Grade 3. Photo: Helix Water District
First Place – Abraham Hernandez, STEAM Academy @ La Presa, Grade 6. Photo: Helix Water District
Second Place – Abigail Payne, Christ Lutheran School, Grade 8. Photo: Helix Water District 2022
Third Place – Catalina Jones, Lemon Avenue Elementary, Grade 6. Photo: Helix Water District
Honorable Mention – Kayla V. Osuna, STEAM Academy @ La Presa, Grade 7. Photo: Helix Water District
Honorable Mention – Lindsay Lu, Christ Lutheran School, Grade 8. Photo: Helix Water District
Winners now move on to compete with other regional winners for the opportunity to appear in the 2023 Metropolitan Water District of Southern California calendar.
Third-grader Lucas Regimbal from Christ Lutheran La Mesa School in the Helix Water District was the youngest of four San Diego County residents to appear in the 2022 MWDD “Water Is Life” calendar.
Lucas explained his message. “I think there are so many big things to do to save water and conserve. But there are also many little things we can do as well. A lot of little things come up to some very big things. By fixing drips, each home or business can save hundreds of gallons of water per year. That means a lot if lots of families and business did this one little thing.”
(Editor’s note: The Helix Water District is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the metropolitan San Diego region.)
San Diego County residents can expect more calls for water conservation, even as local water officials insist the region has enough.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to cut back water use across the board around the state.
“California is facing a drought crisis and every local water agency and Californian needs to step up on conservation efforts,” said Newsom in a statement this week.
New drought regulations will go into effect next month as California tries to conserve water before the hot summer months.
California State Water Resources Control Board adopted a new regulation on Tuesday, to ensure a more aggressive approach to save water. Even though San Diego County is not facing a water shortage, residents will still have to comply with the state’s regulations.
Water conservation measures announced earlier this month by Mayor Eric Garcetti were approved Wednesday by the Los Angeles City Council, confirming that outdoor watering in the city will be restricted to two days per week based on street addresses beginning June 1.
The restrictions, approved by a 13-0 vote, are more lenient than the one-day limit ordered earlier by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California for areas that are dependent on water from the State Water Project.
The State Water Resources Control Board voted Tuesday to ban watering of non-functional turf at commercial, industrial and institutional properties, the latest in a series of steps to conserve water amid a historic drought.
The ban — which does not include turf at residences or turf used for recreation or community purposes — will be effective once approved by the Office of Administrative Law, which typically takes about 10 days, according to the board. Violations of the ban would be punishable by a fine of up to $500.
California water regulators adopted emergency drought rules Tuesday that increase conservation requirements for water suppliers throughout the state and prohibit the watering of grass that is purely decorative at businesses and in common areas of subdivisions and homeowners associations.
The regulations outlaw the use of drinking water for irrigating “non-functional” grass at commercial, industrial and institutional properties.
California approved new drought restrictions Tuesday, much to the chagrin of San Diego County’s top water managers, who fear increased conservation will further drive up the region’s soaring cost of water.
The new rules, called for by Gov. Gavin Newsom, require nearly all water suppliers in the state to ratchet down residential water consumption, while banning commercial water users from irrigating “non-functional” turf.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom threatened Monday to impose mandatory water restrictions if residents don’t use less on their own as a drought drags on and the hotter summer months approach.
Newsom raised that possibility in a meeting with representatives from major water agencies, including those that supply Los Angeles, San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area. The Democratic governor has avoided issuing sweeping, mandatory cuts in water use and instead favored giving local water agencies power to set rules for water use in the cities and towns they supply.
