Fire, Plants Defensible Space - County of San Diego info (BW, 18 pgs, includes plants list)
California-friendly Gardening in San Diego County from San Diego County Water Authority
General Water Conservation Information:
(619) 533-7485
(619) 533-7485
Permanent Mandatory Water Use Restrictions and Voluntary Level 1 Restrictions | Public Utilities: Water as of July 1, 2014
Drought Alert condition - a heightened set of voluntary but very important practices, in addition to the permanent, mandatory restrictions already in place.
Please first review the permanent mandatory restrictions already in place, plus the Level 1 restrictions effective July 1, 2014. San Diego residents are also encouraged to report water waste by calling the Water Waste Hotline at (619) 533-5271.
Permanent Mandatory Restrictions
In recent years the San Diego City Council approved permanent restrictions on wasteful water use. These restrictions are now in place year around. The following prohibitions are in effect at all times.
- Customers shall repair or stop all water leaks upon discovery or within 72 hours of notification by the City of San Diego.
- The time of day when watering is allowed (before 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m. from June to October, and before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m. from November to May) is a permanent restriction. This does not apply to irrigation as required by a landscape permit; for erosion control; for establishment, repair or renovation of public use fields; for landscape establishment following a disaster; for renovation or repair of an irrigation system; and for nursery and commercial growers using hand held containers, positive shut off nozzles, or drip/micro-spray systems. The City will review variance applications from customers who feel they cannot abide by this watering schedule.
- City of San Diego water customers must prohibit excessive irrigation and must immediately correct leaks in their private water systems. The City's regulations now state that customers "shall not allow water to leave their property due to drainage onto adjacent properties or public or private roadways or streets or gutters due to excessive irrigation and/or uncorrected leaks."
- Customers cannot use a running hose to wash down sidewalks, driveways, parking areas, tennis courts, patios or other paved areas, except to alleviate immediate safety or sanitation hazards, unless that hose is connected to a water efficient device such as a commercial water broom.
- Overfilling of swimming pools and spas is strictly prohibited.
- All decorative water fountains must use a recirculating pump.
- Vehicles may only be washed at a commercial car wash or by using a hose with an automatic shutoff nozzle or with a hand-held water container.
- The City will not provide new water service connections for customers using single pass-through cooling systems.
- All new conveyer car wash and commercial laundry systems connections will be required to employ a recirculating water system.
- Restaurants and other food establishments shall only serve and refill water for patrons upon request.
- Guests in hotels, motels, and other commercial lodging establishments will be provided the option of not laundering towels and linens daily.
Level 1 Restrictions, effective July 1, 2014
On July 1, 2014, the City of San Diego entered a Level 1 Drought Condition Alert. Below are the recommendations set forth by the City for Level 1, in addition to the permanent restrictions above:
- Limit watering of landscapes to no more than 3 days per week.
- When watering without an irrigation system, use either a hand-held hose with a shutoff valve or a garden hose sprinkler system on a timer.
- Washing of vehicles is limited to the same seasonal schedule as irrigation, as explained in permanent restrictions (except for: boats, which may be washed after use; vehicles with health/safety issues; or when washing at a commercial carwash that recycles water).
- Do not water/irrigate during rain events.
- Use recycled water for construction purposes, when available.
- Construction operations may only use water for normal construction activities, consistent with Section 67.3803 and that required by regulatory agencies.
- Limit the use of fire hydrants to fire fighting, construction, health and safety.
Leaks and over irrigation can cause significant waste. The City of San Diego offers free Water Conservation services:
For a survey appointment and more information, call (619) 570-1999, or emailwatersurvey@sandiego.gov.
From June 1 through October 31, when the weather is hotter, customers must water their landscape prior to 10 a.m. in the morning, and not until after 6:00 p.m. in the evening, to lessen evaporation and get the most out of your water use.
When water timers are set correctly, customers are using water more efficiently. For more information on water conservation and the City's landscape watering calculator, which helps customers determine the amount of water use according to their specific landscape design, visit the Waste No Water Information and Resources page.
Tools to Help Eliminate Water Waste
A Landscape Watering Calculator is available here, to help you determine how long to water your landscape.
In addition, the San Diego County Water Authority offers a Residential Household Water Use Calculator to help residents estimate how much water they use in their homes, and provides practical tips for conserving.
Rebate Programs
The City's Public Utilities Department has residential and commercial outdoor rebate programs to help customers save in a big way. Funded primarily by state grants competitively sought and obtained by the City, the rebates are available to eligible single-family, multi-family and commercial customers on a first-come, first served basis. Click the icons to the right to learn more about micro-irrigation, turf removal and rainwater harvesting (rain barrels) rebates.
Water Hotline
Report water waste by calling:
(619) 533-5271
Conserving Water is Everybody's Responsibility
While at virtually every multi-family property there are shared water meters, it is vitally important that all San Diegans work together to save water. Cutting down on water usage both inside and outside the home not only helps save water, it helps San Diego.
Here are some simple things you can do to reduce water usage:
- Make sure, whenever possible, you are using low water-use showerheads, aerators, toilets, washing machines and dishwashers. Some incentives are available. Visit http://www.20gallonchallenge.com/programs.html for more information.
- Report to management or repair drips, leaking toilets or other leaking water fixtures
- Take short showers and turn the water off while lathering or shaving
- Don't use running hot water to defrost food. Plan ahead or use the microwave
- When rinsing fruits and vegetables, catch the water for use to rinse dishes, run the garbage disposal or water plants
- Scrape food off dishes before washing rather than rinsing them
- Use a basin or the largest pot to hand-wash dishes rather than filling the sink
- Run your dishwasher and washing machine only when full
- Take your car to a car wash
- Use a broom to clean the patio
- Report broken sprinkler heads or excessive wet spots to management
Call the City of San Diego at (619) 515-3500 to ask for free posters or fliers with water conservation information that can be posted around your complex.
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