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San Diego: Caltrans to aim sprinklers at native plants; official suggests billing water based on time of day

Posted by: Maven on May 9, 2009 at 6:22 am

From the North County Times:

State transportation officials say they plan to fix broken sprinklers along San Diego County freeways so they spray plants instead of traffic.

Pedro Orso-Delgado, director for the California Department of Transportation’s San Diego and Imperial counties district, said Friday that Caltrans also plans to change the timing so sprinklers water at night or early in the morning, instead of during the midday heat. And Caltrans is preparing to rip out lush and thirsty landscaping that adorns some highways and interchanges, and replace it with native plants that use less water, Orso-Delgado said.

Orso-Delgado made the comments during a San Diego County Water Authority presentation on the state of the local water supply to the San Diego Association of Governments board. He said Caltrans doesn’t want to be seen as wasting water at a time when water providers are warning customers throughout the region to cut back on watering or face sharply higher utility bills.

The board took no action. But a few board members offered suggestions on how to ensure San Diego County has enough water for the future.

Board member Carrie Downey of Coronado suggested water agencies borrow a page out of the electric utilities’ playbook and charge customers not only based on how much water they use, but on when they use it. If it cost more for people to water at midday, she said, they would be more likely to sprinkle at cooler times when there is less evaporation and wind.

Read more from the San Diego Union Tribune by clicking here.

May 9, 2009 · Filed Under San Diego

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