California Contractors' Association Honored for Water Conservation

SAN DIEGO - Bernie Rhinerson, Chairman of the San Diego County Water Authority board of directors, on behalf of the SDCWA recently recognized and thanked the San Diego Chapter of the California Landscape Contractors Association for its support and leadership during the past year in alleviating undue demand on the treated water supply. Presented at the SDCWA board meeting, the Proclamation was accepted by Rob McGann, Hydro-Plant Inc., CLCA San Diego Chapter Resource Management Committee Chair; Tom Heaviland, Heaviland Enterprises, CLCA San Diego Chapter past president; and Nora Jaeschke, NN Jaeschke, Chair Conservation Action Committee, Board Member of SDCWA and CLCA member.  

In 2003, the water authority asked CLCA contractor members to participate in the SDCWA's Treated Water Demand Management Program. One of the goals of the program is to spread the demand for treated water throughout the entire week to avoid spikes in usage that sometimes exceed the capacity of the treatment facility. It was determined that these high demand periods were partially caused by a prevalence of irrigation systems scheduled to run Monday through Thursday. The CLCA San Diego Chapter agreed to participate by altering irrigation schedules, irrigating on the weekend, and conserving water wherever possible.

With the help of the CLCA San Diego Chapter, the water authority recently reported that the number of days when demand exceeded supply at local treatment facilities decreased significantly from the previous year. While this is good news, the SDCWA stresses that it  needs the continued cooperation of all water users including the landscape industry to solve the region's water problems and ensure future supplies.