Submitted by guest Blogger Nicole:
San Diego County has setup a system of four Drought Response Levels, ranging from “Drought Watch” to “Drought Emergency.” On this four response level chart, San Diego County has been marked “Drought Alert,” which means up to 20% mandatory conservation. San Diego imports 85-90 percent of its water. Environmental stresses that have been put on other areas, such as the Colorado River and Northern California, has led to the production of less water. Due to this, San Diego’s wholesalers have reduced their water deliveries, affecting the City’s water system. The result: water use restrictions being set in San Diego County.
During this drought, the residents of the 3,900-acre 835-unit community of Santaluz in San Diego County have spend over $1 million dollars on landscaping because they wanted more green and to plump up their common areas.
The original visionaries who set up this home community didn’t have this in mind. Their original idea behind the landscaping for these homes and surrounding common areas was to be water-wise. The grassland was built to survive limited amounts of water. With the addition of 63,000 plants and trees, the original criteria for water-wise landscaping is not being met, so the vegetation will have to be watered in the dry season. It’s too early to tell how much extra water Santaluz is using compared to before, but the overall water use hasn’t gone up. The city parks department official says Santaluz will be within the confines of the drought ordinance. They are thinking that more amounts of water will not be needed with the increase of plant life.
During this time, most people’s property looks a little barren. But using water during a water shortage is not going to solve any problems, it is going to create more in the long run. I don’t like the brown spots forming on my lawn, but I am not going to contribute to the depletion of our water supply. I can live with brown grass; I can’t live without water.
Visit City of San Diego’s Water Department to see how you can conserve water and make sure you are following the correct constrictions.