Put Plug on Wasting of Water, Authority Urges

If you hosed off your back-yard deck or sidewalk this morning, members of the San Diego County Water Authority forgive you. But, if you hose it off tomorrow . . . well, shame on you.

Amid hoopla, flag-waving and a pledge by a contingent of Girl Scouts to conserve water, Water Awareness Week officially kicked off Monday.

Although San Diego County has yet to face mandatory water rationing, as some of its counterparts in Northern California have, water officials here are urging residents to voluntarily cut back water use by 10% this week. Officials hope the initial effort will become a habit.

The program, part of a statewide effort to inform the public about the scarcity of water, runs through Sunday. On Saturday, residents will be asked to shut off all water for one hour--from 2 to 3 p.m.--as a reminder of the need to conserve.

Water officials don’t want residents to stop showering or wash their dishes in a bucket, but they do want people to curb water-wasting habits, said Dale Mason, water authority chairman.

Mason said that, if residents don’t curtail use now, they could find themselves facing mandatory measures later.

Residents will be urged to stop running the water while brushing their teeth, leaving the hose running while washing their cars and soaking their lawns when not necessary.

Despite projections of an adequate water supply through summer, San Diego County is far from certain to avoid a shortage, Mason said.

Water authority figures show that the average person uses about 110 gallons of water a day at home. San Diego County imports about 90% of its water from the Colorado River, via the Colorado River Aqueduct, and from Oroville, Calif., about 600 miles to the north via the California Aqueduct, Melton said.

“Without water, San Diego could return to its desert state that it once was,” he said.

To help in the effort, a free water conservation kit is available by contacting the County Water Authority. It includes a tip sheet on 25 ways to save water.