Water Savings Fall Short in San Juan Water District

Granite Bay, Calif. – Customers in San Juan Water District’s retail service area reduced their September water use by 30 percent, which is six percent less than the agency is required to meet. This brings the agency’s cumulative reduction to 38.8 percent since the state’s mandated water restrictions went into effect this June.

“Up to 60 percent of the water use in our customers’ homes is for outdoor landscapes,” said Shauna Lorance, general manager. “As we move into fall and winter, when temperatures are cooler and days are shorter, our landscapes need less water. This makes it especially difficult to achieve a 36 percent reduction in November and December. We are asking our customers to help us now more than ever.”
 
The district exceeded the governor’s target during the first three months the mandate was in effect. The region continues to address challenges related to our climate, especially with the warm weather we’re experiencing so far this fall.
 
“Because of our hot, dry summers, we require a large amount of irrigation to keep our landscapes healthy,” said Lisa Brown, customer service manager. “Our typical customer sees their water use increase May through September because of their landscape’s irrigation needs. This is the time where we can really save. As winter approaches and irrigation needs decrease, it gets a lot more difficult to save as we have to rely on indoor conservation measures.”

The district is continuing to remind customers to reduce irrigation even more in the fall and winter and turn off their irrigation systems if it rains or is windy. Customers are also encouraged to visit SJWD.org for more conservation tips and ways to save.