Tom Fudge: The last two years have been dry ones in San Diego. In fact, this past rainy season has brought our region less than four inches of precipitation. In a normal year, we'd get about ten inches. Add to that the fact that the Colorado River Valley has been going through a drought and the Sierra snowpack is depleted, and you could have some trouble. Those, after all, are the places where most of our water comes from.
So far, the trouble with water supply doesn't mean any real limits on the amount of water local residents are allowed to use. But next year, local farmers are fully expecting to be hit with substantial restrictions. In the meantime, the San Diego County Water Authority is asking local residents to cut back their water use by 10 percent. They call it the " 20-Gallon Challenge " because cutting 10 percent means every person reduces his or her daily use by 20 gallons. How do you save 20 gallons a day?
Guests
- Fern Steiner, board chair for the San Diego County Water Authority.
- Tom Piergrossi, horticulturist, landscaper and wholesale grower of rare and unusual plants. He is also the host and producer of a TV gardening show called Down to Earth .
- Al Stehly, avocado and citrus grower in the San Diego's North County.
