San Diego County on Tuesday held an event promoting its water-friendly initiatives ahead of Earth Day this coming Friday.
Frank Santana, a land use planner for the county, was happy to share water-saving tips. He shared advice on how to cash in on a rain barrel.
Santana said the rain barrels capture rainwater for irrigation, diverting water that normally becomes runoff. The rules to procure them vary by area.
"We have information here that people can look up based on where they live, rebates for the rain barrels," Santana said. "And it can be a zero cost for you if you use all your resources."
Santana was concerned about both water use and what actually gets into watersheds. He said a little bit of planning can save one of the region's most valuable resources.
San Diego County Supervisor Greg Cox said the region will always have to be mindful about water.
"While we may not have a shortage right now in San Diego County, it's an issue we're going to have to continue to deal with in the future," Cox said. "Whatever we can do to encourage people to conserve to put in drought resistant plants instead of their grasses and other things that use a lot of water, its something we need to keep working on year in and year out."
