While most cities in the region are struggling to cut anywhere near the amount of water mandated by the state, one is almost where it needs to be.
The San Dieguito Water District in Encinitas cut its water use by 24 percent from April 2013 to April 2015. The state mandate for the district is 28 percent. Every water district in the state has a different water cutback target to meet under mandates imposed by Gov. Jerry Brown in response to California's drought. If districts don't meet their targets by February, they could face fines of $10,000 a day.
Encinitas Mayor Kristin Gaspar said a big reason for her city's water-slashing success is that residents were invested in saving water long before the drought restrictions began.
"I’m really proud of Encinitas residents, because I do believe we have a culture of water conservation already in place and an extreme level of environmental awareness among our residents," Gaspar said.
The wealthy beach community has a population of about 61,600 and a median household income $91,795. It offers green building incentives to encourage environmentally friendly construction, and environmental celebrities like Nan Sterman, Dadla Ponizil and the Coast Law Group call it home.
The city also has the 37-acre San Diego Botanic Garden filled with examples of water-wise plants. Thousands of visitors, many of them Encinitas residents, walk its grounds each year and get tips on how to save water.
A 'tipping point'
When Encinitas resident Greg Bullock moved into his house four years ago, he set up a system that pumps gray water from his washing machine to his garden. He uses biodegradable laundry detergent, which means the water can run straight onto his plants.
"Some people thought we were crazy four years ago, but I think there’s a tipping point now," Bullock said.
The tipping point is California’s massive drought, which has led to drastic cutbacks across the state. Bullock has gotten his children involved in the water-saving effort. After returning home from school on a recent day, his daughter Eleanor bolted into the garden to check on two cucumber plants she has named Jojo and Rosie.
"Let’s see how Rosie is doing today," Bullock said as Eleanor peered down at the stalks.
"She’s doing good," Eleanor said.
Leading the county
Water-saving efforts like those made by the Bullocks seem to be working. Encinitas' San Dieguito Water District was one of the top three in Southern California that slashed its water use the most over the past two years. The Lake Hemet Water District cut its use by 32 percent from April 2013 to April 2015, the city of Glendora cut 26 percent, followed by San Dieguito at 24 percent, according to the State Water Resources Control Board.
Water Cuts In San Diego County
Amount of water cut from April 2013 to April 2015, according to the State Water Resources Control Board:
San Dieguito: 24%
Poway: 13%
Escondido: 11%
Carlsbad: 10%
Oceanside: 9%
San Diego: 3.5%
Water Saving Tips
Tips from the San Dieguito Water District on ways to reduce water use.
While San Dieguito cut back far more than any other city in San Diego County, its customers still used on average 118 gallons a day, compared with 66 gallons a day in San Diego. That's likely because most Encinitas residents live in houses and very few live in apartments, according to the State Water Resources Control Board.
Good district, bad district
Encinitas is also served by two water districts, and one hasn’t made the necessary water-use cuts. The Olivenhain Municipal Water District serves the eastern portion of the city, and it only reduced use by 2 percent between April 2013 and April 2015.
The city's mayor said that’s likely because the district covers much more than Encinitas.
"You have to look at where the boundary lines are drawn, and we have some more agricultural rural areas being served by Olivenhain Municipal Water District," Gaspar said.
The San Dieguito Water District, which covers the coastal portion of the city, only has to cut a little more to get to the state-mandated 28 percent. That will still be a challenge, Gaspar said.
"We know that our customers have done everything they can to conserve, and now asking them to conserve again is another challenge," she said. "So we’re trying to find ways to incentivize at this point and also up our outreach into the community."
Both districts have similar rules, including limiting watering to two days a week for no more than 10 minutes.
But the San Dieguito district also set up special pricing that rewards water-savers and punishes big water users. If customers do not reduce their water use, their bills will go up by 9.3 percent, according to the district. If they cut use by 28 percent, their bills will be slashed by 18 percent.
Past conservation efforts 'didn't seem to stick'
The city also has rebates for homeowners who remove their lawns, which resident Diane Hazard gladly used. She's remodeling her home and took out all of the grass in her half-acre backyard. She also composts for her garden and set up a system to collect rainwater that flows down her driveway.
Hazard has lived in her home for 18 years but said the drought encouraged her to make changes now.
"When I first moved out here it was the '80s, we were also in a drought," she said. "There was a lot of drum banging, but it didn’t seem to stick. And when the water came, that mentality went away. And I think that’s wrong. We really weren’t meant to have big grass yards and be water guzzlers."
Starting this month, Hazard and her neighbors will have to cut water use a little more. Still, they’re gallons ahead of the rest of the county.
