I heard this morning from Ruth Harber, a Valley Center resident, who offered some insight to what effect the cuts in supply have had on her life. Many Valley Center residents who grow avocados have seen a 30 percent cut in their water supply, the result of a cutback from the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District.
Metropolitan cut deliveries to agricultural users in January, forcing growers to trim back their crops. The growers had received a discounted price on their water in exchange for agreeing to take the first cuts if supplies were crimped.
Harber said she’s taken many steps to save water. She wrote:
We all use too much water when working in our kitchens. I have put two basins in the double sink. One is soapy water, the other for rinsing. Whenever the water gets dirty, I take the basins out and put the water on plants or the lawn. Very little goes down the drain. Also, we pour this water into 5 gallon containers and take these to our avocado trees.
I live in Valley Center and we have had our water (for our avocado grove) cut by 30%. It’s a trek to the grove — I’m 80 years old — but I do take my kitchen water to the trees aside from my roses and potted plants. It’s not much, and not easy, but every little bit helps.
I laugh when I see the ads admonishing San Diego to water the lawn two times a week instead of four. We have two lawns, they are just about dead — we wouldn’t dare water them even once a week. We water them maybe every two weeks. San Diego residents have no idea of what water conservation means. We live it every day.