Water Conservation

Water conservation is always important in San Diego County.

The Valley Center Municipal Water District and our wholesale water supplier, the San Diego County Water Authority, are urging residents and businesses to join the "20-Gallon Challenge" to help our region reduce its water use by 20 gallons per person per day.

There are many easy and inexpensive ways that residents and businesses can achieve significant water savings indoors and outdoors. One immediate action is to shut down landscape irrigation systems during and after a rainfall. Here are additional easy and quick water saving ideas:

• Reduce each irrigation cycle for your lawn or landscape by 1-3 minutes and save 15-25 gallons each minute. Or, eliminate one irrigation cycle per week and save up to 250 gallons per cycle.
• Adjust sprinklers to prevent overspray and run-off. Save 15-25 gallons per day,
• Sweep sidewalks and driveways, instead of hosing them down, to save 8 to 18 gallons per minute.
• Fix irrigation system leaks or broken sprinkler heads to save 20 gallons per day per leak.
• Add 2" to 3" of mulch around trees and plants to reduce evaporation. Save 20-30 gallons per day per 1000 square feet.
• Wash only full loads of clothes and save 15-50 gallons per load.
• Fix leaky faucets or toilets to save 15 to 20 gallons a day per faucet, or up to 30 to 50 gallons a day per toilet.

 Other conservation information is available from the County Water Authority and the Metropolitan Water District. You may also be interested in:

• Be Water Wise - The Garden Spot- Online Gardening Classes- Take a self-guided web tutorial and learn the basics of California friendly gardening.
• Landscape Watering Calculator - an easy-to-use tool that helps you estimate the right amount of water to give your landscape or garden. Brought to us by the City of San Diego.

by Giancarlo Pinamonti
1st Place
 2011 4th Grade Poster Contest