Water officials, however, didn't foresee the coming drop in demand and consistently overestimated how much water was needed. By 2020, San Diegans used 30% less water than in 1990. Statewide water cuts during drought, more efficient showers, toilets and taps, rebates to tear out grass and the use of recycled water did what they were supposed to do - steeply reducing per-person water use. While those efforts took hold, demand steadily fell, even as half a million more people moved to San Diego. “On the other hand, it’s a very reliable supply because it’s not affected by drought and low flows in rivers in Northern California or the Colorado.” “In round terms, it’s twice as expensive as imported surface water,” said Hanemann. The plant produces 50 million gallons of drinkable water - enough for about 400,000 people - every day and is by far the region's most expensive water source. In 2012, San Diego County forged a deal to get 10% of its water supply from the Carlsbad Desalination Plant for the next 30 years. It provided rebates to homeowners who ripped out grass lawns for water-efficient alternatives. It raised dams to increase storage capacity in reservoirs. The water authority also helped farmers use less water. Today, it receives about 55% of its total supply from Imperial as part of the deal. San Diego County funded repairs to leaky canals belonging to Imperial and signed a historic water transfer deal. So in 2003, the water authority cut a deal to get water from the single largest user of the Colorado River, the Imperial Irrigation District, in Southern California. Gavin Newsom has to say and what that could mean for you. We need to plan for our own reliability,” said Sandy Kerl, general manager of the San Diego County Water Authority.Ĭould water conservation mandates be expected to remedy California’s drought? NBC 7’s Nicole Gomez shares what Gov. “At that point, our community came together and said, ‘We’re not going to be in this situation again. That experience and a tense, dysfunctional relationship - California water experts say - with water officials in Los Angeles spurred San Diego County's aggressive, decades-long pursuit of water self-sufficiency. At the time, almost all of its water came from the Metropolitan Water District, the country's largest water provider. In the 1990s, a severe dry period cut the region's water supply by 30%. San Diegans didn't always rest easy during drought. “I think this is a harbinger of something that’s going to happen elsewhere in California and elsewhere in the U.S.” Why so expensive “San Diego's situation is very surprising, very striking,” said Michael Hanemann, an environmental economist at Arizona State University who recently was commissioned to study the region's water costs for a California agency. If they succeed, water in San Diego County could grow even more expensive. Now, two rural irrigation districts in San Diego County home to large avocado industries want to break away from the regional water supplier, saying they can purchase cheaper water elsewhere. San Diego County's water is among the most expensive in the country, costing about 26% more at the wholesale level in 2021 than the Metropolitan Water District's, which serves Los Angeles and surrounding counties. Get San Diego local news, weather forecasts, sports and lifestyle stories to your inbox.
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