SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The City of San Diego plans to develop more than half of its water locally under a plan introduced by Mayor Todd Gloria.
The plan intends to develop more than 50% of the city's locally by 2045. A major factor in this goal will be the city's Pure Water recycling program, which purifies recycled water to be used as safe drinking water. The project is expected to be fully implemented by the end of 2035 and have the capacity to create 83 million gallons of water daily.
Gloria says the plan will dramatically increase the local water supply, which currently requires the city to purchase 85% to 90% of its water from imported sources.
But as the city's population has grown about 1% annually since 2010, water demand has decreased from more than 81.5 billion gallons in 2007 to 57 billion gallons in 2020. Gloria attributed the decrease to residents and businesses conserving water much more efficiently.
"The decrease in our water demand is remarkable. It’s a testament to the resolve of San Diegans to make a positive change for the present as well as our future," Gloria said. "The new Urban Water Management Plan provides us with a roadmap for a more sustainable city in the years to come. I encourage San Diegans to weigh in on this critically important plan."
The public can send their feedback on the city's plan from March 1 until April 5 to project manager Khuram Shah at khshah@sandiego.gov. The plan can be viewed online here.
The plan will also be discussed at public meetings, including the Independent Rates Oversight Committee on March 15, and the City Council’s Environment Committee. The plan will be presented to the City Council later this year.
