Drought Response Action Plan

About the Program

Category: County Resiliency (Best in Category)

Year: 2016

Responding to the historic drought and the California Governor's 2015 Executive Order to conserve potable water, San Diego County embarked on a countywide effort to reduce water usage and achieved a monthly average water savings of 25 percent between June and December 2015 compared to the same months in 2013. The water saving projects were developed and executed by the County’s Departments of Public Works, Parks and Recreation, General Services, Planning and Development Services, Sheriff, Probation and Health and Human Services. Additional facility retrofits and landscape conversions are currently underway to ensure the County’s ongoing water usage remains as low as possible. These efforts, when fully implemented, are anticipated to provide up to 115 million gallons in permanent annual water savings or enough water to supply 706 homes for an entire year. The County also took the water savings mandate one step further by coordinating with local utilities such as the San Diego County Water Authority and San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) to host a series of events on water conservation. Attendees were provided information about resources and financial incentives and rebates encouraging them to take the lead on saving water in their homes.