The San Diego region also has invested in water projects ranging from boosting the storage capacity at San Vicente Dam to supporting the Poseidon desalination plant, which is under construction in Carlsbad. Major drivers of that trend include state laws that have led to increasingly water-efficient appliances and bathroom fixtures, as well as big-box stores offering wider selections of drought-tolerant plants. Officials with the San Diego County Water Authority said residents have cut consumption per-capita water use has dropped by 27 percent since 2007, according to the agency. “We will always be a semi-desert,” Olson wrote. “I feel that the more educated people are about our water problem, the more we can save this precious resource,” Vince McGrath wrote in an e-mail.Īlix Olson, a self-described “extreme environmentalist” from Oceanside, collects rainwater, plants native vegetation, skimps on showers and even uses a waterless, or “composting,” toilet. The couple also open their yard to garden tours to share their strategies for reducing water use. Vince McGrath, a docent at the Water Conservation Garden in El Cajon, and his wife, Kay, have installed a colorful drought-resistant garden at their own home. The San Diego County Water Authority has a web site that offers comprehensive information about ways to conserve water.

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