How San Diego's Largest Water Users Are Conserving (or Not)
Rob Davis
Voice of San Diego
11/20/2009
Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009 | A year ago at the Balboa Park Golf Course, a brown patch in the rough would've been cause for concern. Employees at the city-owned course would've brought out a portable sprinkler or hose to revive the dying grass.
Today, the course's once-green fringes are dotted with dirt patches. Most grass on the driving range has died. Since no one hits from the range itself, the sprinklers were dialed back to water monthly. Instead of attacking the brown spots, Pat Segawa, the course's manager, said he's embracing them.
No one uses more water in San Diego than the city government itself, which consumes more than 3 billion gallons annually. And in the last two years, no single user has cut consumption more than the city, which trimmed its use by 293 million gallons annually -- enough water to supply 1,800 homes for a year.
A look at the top 10 users in San Diego, though, shows mixed results. Since the call for conservation began in 2007, four of the largest users have consumed more. The U.S. Navy, the second-largest user, increased consumption 15 percent, almost negating the savings the city netted.
University of California, San Diego (No. 3); San Diego Unified School District (No. 5); and San Diego State University (No. 7) all consumed more, according to figures from the city's Public Utilities Department. Both universities and the school district completed construction projects during that time, adding students and new building space. SDSU attributed its 6 percent increase in part to an underground leak that's since been fixed.
The largest users did have water conservation successes. Caltrans (No. 4), CP Kelco (No. 6), the Marine Corps (No. 8), the Port District (No. 9) and SeaWorld (No. 10) all used less, collectively saved enough water for 750 families.
The list of the top users highlights how irrigation drives potable water use across San Diego, a city where 60 percent of the supply is used to keep plants green. Many of the largest users, such as the city and Caltrans, primarily use water for irrigation. But those top users also demonstrate how simple it is to save massive amounts of water in an arid region that depends on the Colorado River and Sacramento Delta for most of its supplies.
As it endeavors to meet an 8 percent mandatory supply cutback, the cash-strapped city of San Diego didn't have to invest millions in water-efficient retrofits or drought-tolerant landscaping. Much of its savings came after its top officials simply told employees to use less water at the city's 400 parks.
"We have thousands of acres of developed parks that are growing, living things that require watering," said Stacey LoMedico, director of the city's Parks and Recreation Department. "But there's a difference between watering haphazardly and watering strategically."
SeaWorld, which posted a 14 percent decline in consumption, took steps as simple as using saltwater instead of freshwater to thaw the fish fed to the park's animals. That helped cut consumption about a quarter of 1 percent, park spokesman Dave Koontz said.
Other agencies have made investments in conservation. The Unified Port of San Diego, for example, spent $21,000 in the last year to install 55 low-flow toilets in its headquarters and at the 10th Avenue Marine Terminal, a spokesman said. The agency wants off the city's top 10 list, Port Commissioner Steve Cushman recently told the City Council.
"Unfortunately, we're No. 10," Cushman said last month at a council hearing where the top 10 users made presentations. "If we do this right, we won't be back here again." (The agency is actually No. 9. It will have to cut consumption at least 18 million gallons annually to get to No. 11.)
The University of San Diego (No. 19) is spending $2.1 million to replace every urinal, toilet, and sink aerator on campus, an effort that will save an estimated 29 million gallons annually, said Roger Manion, the school's assistant vice president for facilities management.
While the region has consistently been told to use 10 percent less, San Diego's 96 largest users collectively haven't hit the mark. The majority heeded the call to cut consumption, collectively saving 2 percent between 2007 and 2009, according to statistics obtained through a California Public Records Act request. Thirty-two large users had increases. It's not known why the Navy's use increased. A local Navy spokeswoman didn't return a call.
Some large users questioned the city's statistics. City Hall's numbers show USD increasing use by 8 percent since 2007. But the city didn't account for all of the university's use, Manion said. Campus-wide water consumption dropped 10 percent since 2007, he said.
SDSU, the Port District and San Diego County (No. 13) also challenged the accuracy of the city's statistics. The port's consumption stats show the agency using less than the city estimated. The city's figures show the county's consumption up 1 percent; the county said it was down 15 percent.
UCSD, where use has slightly increased since 2007, said the city's figures accurately reflected consumption on campus. The university attributed its 5 percent bump to an increase in students living on campus and new buildings that have opened.
Dave Weil, the university's director of building commissioning and sustainability, said the amount of water used per square foot on campus has dropped -- from 56 gallons to 53. The school aims to cut consumption 20 percent by 2013, he said.
The university has applied for $50 million in federal stimulus funding, much of which would go to water conservation projects, said John Dilliott, UCSD's energy and utilities manager.
