San Diego Chapter of CLCA Wins Recognition

Recognition was given to CLCA's San Diego Chapter for significant shifting of peak treated water demands and providing relief to local water treatment plants.

The San Diego County Water Authority board of directors 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. In 2003, the water authority asked CLCA contractor members to participate in the SDCWA's Treated Water Demand Management Program. One of the goals 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 their help, the water authority recently reported that the number of days where demand exceeded supply decreased significantly from the previous year. While this is wonderful news, they also stressed that continued cooperation is still needed from the landscape industry and all water users to solve the region's water problems and ensure future supplies.