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Oceanside Takes First Place in Nationwide Waterwise Contest

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Linda Mcintosh

The city of Oceanside took first place in this year’s Wyland National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation, earning the title of most waterwise among similarly sized cities across the country.

In total, Oceanside residents and businesses saved 32,945 gallons of water, collected more than 10,000 pounds of debris headed for local rivers and the ocean and reduced carbon emissions by 137 pounds during Earth Month in April.

During the annual competition, mayors around the country encourage their communities to conserve water, reduce carbon emissions and reduce waste.

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Oceanside Introduces 360 Tour of Water Recycling Project

/in , , /by /The Logby Jordan B Darling

Oceanside released an immersive 360-degree video and tour of the San Luis Rey Water Reclamation Facility, and new home of Pure Water Oceanside which is set to go online in 2022.

The video was released as part of “Water Awareness Month” and is a step-by-step tour of the water purification process, with a unique 360-view of the facility.

By turning your phone, you can see a view of the plant from all directions while hearing a narration of the process.

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Learn to match plant choices to your microclimate map. Photo: Charlie Neuman, Water Authority

How to Choose Plants for Landscape Microclimates

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Every garden has completely different cultivation characteristics, even those located in the same general climate zone. For example, there will be areas where plants will flourish.

Numerous features affect your growing conditions. Structures, walls, fences, and other plants can affect the amount of sun and shade in a garden. There can be hills and hollows in your front yard that may collect cold air. Or, because your property is sloped, you don’t get frost when your neighbors do.

Individual microclimates may differ significantly from the general climate of an area. To be sure you match the right plant choices to your conditions, you need to identify and map these microclimates. Start by walking around your property at different times of day. Observe conditions and take notes.

Choose plants that will thrive

Determine which plants will work in your new garden, and which should be removed or avoided. Outline the canopy area of the plants being retained. Note the name, general size, and health of the plants.

Do any of these plants seem “unthirsty?” Many plants can thrive on less water when they are well established, with deep healthy roots. Old rose bushes and large shade trees are two good examples. These drought-tolerant plants are worth keeping if possible, especially if they are mature.

Note sun and shade patterns

Different areas of your landscaping are affected by shade, moisture, and temperature, creating a variety of microclimates. Photo: Water Authority

Different areas of your landscaping are affected by shade, moisture, and temperature, creating a variety of microclimates. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

Mark the areas that receive sun all day, and areas that are shaded all or part of the day. Also note which areas receive only partial sun, or a few hours of direct morning sun, midday sun, or late afternoon sun.

In choosing landscaping plants, make sure to select those that are appropriate to the sunlight patterns of the garden. Plants marked as “full sun” will not be happy in full shade, and vice versa. Don’t work against their requirements.

Group plants for similar needs

Group plants with similar water requirements together. Make sure plants with different water needs are not combined. Some sun-loving plants have moderate water needs, and some have very low water needs. If these are mixed together, one will always suffer if the watering routine works for the other types. 

This article is part of a year-long series inspired by the 71-page Sustainable Landscapes Program guidebook available at SustainableLandscapesSD.org. The Water Authority and its partners also offer other great resources for landscaping upgrades, including free WaterSmart classes at WaterSmartSD.org.

Urban Water Districts Consider Mandatory Conservation as Drought Deepens

/in , , /by /Politicoby Debra Khan

Urban water agencies are planning to impose mandatory conservation orders after federal water managers slashed deliveries this week amid a rapidly deepening drought.

The Bureau of Reclamation cut water deliveries from the Central Valley Project by about half. That has prompted the Santa Clara Valley Water District, which serves 2 million residents in the Silicon Valley region, to consider a potential conservation order at its board meeting next month. And the Contra Costa Water District, which serves 500,000 residents in the East Bay, is now planning to vote on one in July.

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Water Authority Board Approves 2020 Urban Water Management Plan

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May 27, 2021 – The San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors today approved the Water Authority’s 2020 Urban Water Management Plan for timely submission to the state. The plan highlights how regional investments in a “water portfolio approach” to supply management and a sustained emphasis on water-use efficiency mean that San Diego County will continue to have reliable water supplies through the 2045 planning horizon – even during multiple dry years.

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Urban Water Management Plan-2020-San Diego County Water Authority-San Vicente Dam

Water Authority Board Approves 2020 Urban Water Management Plan

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The San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors May 27 approved the Water Authority’s 2020 Urban Water Management Plan for timely submission to the state. The plan highlights how regional investments in a “water portfolio approach” to supply management and a sustained emphasis on water-use efficiency mean that San Diego County will continue to have reliable water supplies through the 2045 planning horizon – even during multiple dry years.

The Board approved the final plan following a public hearing on March 25 and a 60-day public comment period which ended May 6. The final 2020 UWMP will be submitted to the California Department of Water Resources by the July 1, 2021, deadline.

“Successful efforts to create a reliable water supply coupled with the development of new local sources by the Water Authority and its 24 member agencies ensure that the region will weather dry times over the next two decades,” said Water Authority Board Chair Gary Croucher. “We continue to collaborate with our member agencies on investments in infrastructure and local supply sources to benefit the region’s ratepayers now and in future years.”

Collaboration with member agencies

The Water Authority started the current UWMP process in September 2018, coordinating closely with its 24 member agencies, most of which must submit their own plans to the state. Member agencies provided input into the final plan as part of the Water Authority’s ongoing effort to align local and regional projections as closely as possible while still following applicable guidelines and using regional models. The plan’s long-range demand forecast shows an increase in regional demands of less than 1% per year through 2045. This change in demand is consistent with the change forecasted by other large water suppliers in the state, including the City of San Diego and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

Multiple supply and demand projections factor into Urban Water Management Plans, which are mandated by the state to ensure sufficient supplies over 25 years. The plans are not used to set water rates; rates are set annually based on multiple financial factors at the time, not long-term projections about water supplies.

Water supply availability

Urban Water Management Plans are dictated by statutory guidelines, Water Authority Board direction and an agreement with the San Diego Association of Governments to use its regional growth forecast. The plans also support state laws that link approval for large housing developments to water supply availability.

By law, the plans must be updated every five years. Per state guidelines, the Water Authority’s Urban Water Management Plan includes:

  • Projected water demands under normal weather and dry weather scenarios
  • Conservation savings information
  • A process to conduct an annual water supply and demand assessment
  • Supply reliability analysis

The demand forecast accounts for changes in socio-economic factors, such as the number of projected housing units, the mix of single-family and multi-family dwellings, and employment growth.

2020 Urban Water Management Plan-San Diego County Water Authority-desalination

The 2020 UWMP highlights the value of the Water Authority’s long-term strategy to invest in highly reliable and locally controlled supplies from the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

Investments in local water supply

Conservation projections account for continued adoption of water-use efficiency measures, compliance with landscape water-use ordinances for new residential construction, and continued installations of sustainable landscapes at existing homes. Since 1991, San Diego County ratepayers have conserved more than 1 million acre-feet of water, and per capita potable water use in the region decreased nearly 50% between fiscal years 1990 and 2020.

The 2020 UWMP also highlights the value of the Water Authority’s long-term strategy to invest in highly reliable and locally controlled supplies from the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant and the nation’s largest conservation-and-transfer agreement, which provides high-priority, low-cost water from the Colorado River.

In addition to the UWMP, the Water Authority also regularly updates its Regional Water Facilities Optimization and Master Plan, which focuses on the infrastructure necessary to meet projected long-term demands, and its Long-Range Financing Plan. Those documents work together to ensure the right mix of supplies and facilities to meet the region’s needs at an affordable cost.

Colorado River Aqueduct-Urban Water Management Plan-Water Authority

The nation’s largest conservation-and-transfer agreement, which provides high-priority, low-cost water from the Colorado River, is one of several investments that ensures a reliable, plentiful water supply for the San Diego County region. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

Oceanside Wins Mayor’s Challenge For Water Conservation

/in , , /by /The Coast News Group

The city of Oceanside placed first in the 2021 Wyland National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation, it was announced today.

The annual competition was held during Earth Month to bring awareness to the importance of using water efficiently, especially as California moves into its second consecutive dry year.

Mayors nationwide participated in the competition by challenging their residents to pledge to conserve water, reduce carbon emissions, reduce waste, and take other sustainable actions on behalf of their communities.

“The Oceanside community has always been a leader when it comes to sustainability, and I am honored to be the mayor of the most water-wise city in the nation,” Mayor Esther Sanchez said. “Oceanside has proven that our residents know how to protect the environment, improve water efficiency, reduce waste, and continue to implement actions that will create a better future.”

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San Francisco Water Use Has Declined Since Last Drought — What Else Can You Do to Conserve?

/in , , /by /SF Newsby Jay Barmann

We’re once again going to be having conversations this summer about water use, and hearing about ever more strict mandates coming down from counties and the state about what we use water for. But is San Francisco’s household water use really the problem?

The drought is bad, and it’s getting worse. A big swath of the Bay Area was just put in the “exceptional” drought tier last week by the U.S. Drought Monitor, and the rest of the Bay Area is in the second-worst or “extreme” drought category, along with about three-quarters of California.

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Melting Snow Usually Means Water for the West. But This Year, It Might Not Be Enough

/in , , /by /NPRby Michael Elizabeth Sakas

There’s still snow in Colorado’s mountains near the headwaters of the South Platte River, and Brian Domonkos has strapped on a pair of cross-country skis to come measure it.

He’s the Colorado Snow Survey supervisor, and knowing how much snowpack is left from the winter to runoff into streams, rivers and reservoirs this summer is crucial, especially in a year when much of the West is in extreme drought. As it melts, the snowpack here will become the primary source of water for millions of people in Colorado and across the West.

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Drought Intensifies and Expands in the American West

/in , , /by /Courthouse News Serviceby Matthew Renda

The scale of the drought hitting the American West is beginning to crystallize as Nevada, New Mexico and Arizona experienced their driest year in terms of precipitation on record, according to the National Center for Environmental Information.

In Utah and California, it was the second-driest winter on record. For Wyoming, it was the third-driest ever. For Colorado, only three winters were ever drier in the 127-year history of record-keeping at the center.

“This is extreme,” said Peter Gleick of the Pacific Institute.

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