The Spotlight is on...

This week’s Water District of the Week is the Otay Water District. Located in San Diego County, the Otay Water District (OWD) covers an area of 125.5 square miles, and a service population of just under 200,000. It receives water deliveries from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the San Diego County Water Authority and the Helix Water District. Some of the communities which receive water from the OWD include Rancho San Diego, Chula Vista, eastern Otay Mesa and Spring Valley.

The Otay Water District was selected as this week’s Water District of the Week for its slew of educational material available on water conservation and sustainable water use practices. One notable facet of the OWD’s educational outreach efforts is the fact that the OWD offers not only free tips on how to conserve, but also offers art contests and student scholarships up to $1,000. The OWD offers water education kits, free tours of its Water Conservation Garden and free tips and program funding to educators on how to promote water conservation (up to $300 to be used towards developing water-related programming).

For over one year (since June of 2008), the Board of Directors for the Otay Water District set into place a “Level 1 voluntary Drought Watch.” What this means is that OWD water recipients have been steadily encouraged to cut their annual water use by at least 10%. Currently, this is not a law, and fines cannot be imposed, but conservation is the word at the OWD. Some ways in which consumers can save water, as pointed out by the OWD, include focusing on outside water uses. The typical household expends about 60% of its water on landscaping. Much water can be saved by adjusting water schedules each month) and checking for any leaky or malfunctioning sprinkler heads. The district further encourages all users to visualize conservation by visiting a real-life example of a water-wise garden. The Cuyamaca College Water Conservation Garden is free and open to the public. Concerts, tours, designer classes, courses on water-smart landscaping on a budget, alternatives to grass and more are being offered in the next month, and classes run all year long. This particular demonstration garden has been lauded by multiple water officials for its usefulness in promoting conservation by showing how planting and maintaining climate-appropriate plants can pay off.

There are many benefits to conserving water, some which include saving money otherwise spent on higher water bills, reducing water runoff and pollution to the ocean, and setting an example of sustainable and responsible water use.