SAN

DIEGO
Water & Agriculture

Daygo Duke
America’s Finest City Hickman
 CITY OVERVIEW

FIGURE 1. USA DROUGHT MAP

San Diego has an estimated population of 1.3 San Diego County has faced tremendous
million people while the entire San Diego housing issues, evidenced by its high
county has a population of 3.2 million homelessness rate. According to the Voice of
residents. These numbers have decreased San Diego, there were a little more than 10,000
over the past few years, with the population in homeless people in the county, while there
San Diego County decreasing by 20,000 were 140,000 families on the waitlist for the
people since April 2020. (Census) rental assistance voucher. There are 1.25
million housing units in the county, and
According to Axios, San Diego County lost combined with California prices, forces this
140,000 residents between 2020 and 2022, county to have housing issues.
while only 114,000 people moved in. This is the
first time that the population decreased in San Diego County experiences drought-like
over a decade. Axios also states that the conditions throughout most of the year.
majority of people who move, stay close to San However, currently, San Diego County and the
Diego or California, with “five of the top 10 rest of Southern California are not
destinations for the people who left San Diego experiencing droughts similar to years past.
were in California” (Murphy 2023) with Figure 1 above shows two drought maps. The
Riverside County being first. The top cities for one on the left is current, while the one on the
people who move out of state are Las Vegas right is the drought map from 1 year ago. The
and Phoenix, both within reasonable driving drought illustrated in the map on the right
distance from San Diego. illustrates the usual drought seen in California.
As you can tell, California and Nevada are
Economists in San Diego are predicting that abnormally wet at the moment.
the population in the county will peak in 2042
and begin to decline. The birth rate in this city
is alarming compared to other cities. 20 years
ago, 1 in 10 San Diego residents were over the
age of 65. Economists predict this number to
be 1 in 4 residents by 2060. (Keatts 23) An
aging population will force local governments
to adapt and change their resources and
services to better support this population.

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/sandiegocitycalifornia/PST045222
https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Maps/CompareTwoWeeks.aspx
https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2023/10/02/leaving-moving-out-of-california-data-chart-report
https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2023/08/14/san-diego-population-decline-forecast
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/sandiegocountycalifornia/PST045222
https://voiceofsandiego.org/2023/07/25/4-common-assumptions-about-homelessness-and-what-the-data-says-about-them/#:~:text=San%20Diego%20County's%202023%20census,a%20voucher%20is%2012%20years.
 CITY WATER
San Diego has a fairly complicated water service
process. The city’s water is authorized by the San
Diego County Water Authority, which ensures that
the water entering San Diego County is safe and
reliable to drink and use. In the SDCWA there are
24 members that sell water to their clients. The
SDCWA is not a part of the government, but a
wholesale water-supplying business. Figure 2
illustrates the 24 members and their territories.
Around 97% of San Diego County residents receive
their water from the Water Authority. (Rivard 2015)

Since San Diego does not have a major freshwater

source near the city they have to import the vast
majority of their water. According to the SDCWA,
“In 2020, about two-thirds of the region’s water
supplies are from the Colorado River, about 20
percent is from local sources and the rest is from
Northern California.” (SDCWA) The water from
Northern California reaches San Diego via the
California State Water Project.

Since Southern California experiences many

drought-like conditions and minimal rainfall, local
officials are spending billions of dollars diversifying
their water portfolio so they don’t have to rely on
Figure 2. San Diego County Water Authority imported water sources from out of state.
members and their territories Currently, San Diego County owns and manages 9
reservoirs. The water from the reservoir is
collected and then sent to multiple treatment
facilities. (San Diego) Figure 3 illustrates the San
Diego county water system map.

Water in San Diego falls under two categories,

municipal and industrial (M&I) and agriculture. 92%
of all water went towards M&I, with residences
using the most water. Single-family homes were
the largest users of water, with estimates stating
that 60% of their water use was for outdoor
purposes. Tourism also affected water use, with
the Summer months having a higher demand for
water. (SDCWA)

There are several wastewater treatment facilities

Figure 3. San Diego County water systems map
in San Diego including the Point Loma wastewater
treatment plant, the Pure Water facility, the
Alvarado water treatment plant and the South Bay
water reclamation plant. All of these facilities treat
wastewater and move it to another location,
whether it is back into the San Diego bay or to
other water purification plants in the county. San
Diego County uses all three types of water reuse to
provide water for the city. (San Diego)

https://www.metrojpa.org/facilities/system-map
https://www.sandiego.gov/public-utilities/sustainability/water-supply
https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/city_of_san_diego_2020_uwmp_final_6_29_2021_send.pdf
https://www.sdcwa.org/member-agencies/our-members/
https://www.sdcwa.org/your-water/?q=/frequently-asked-questions-and-key-facts#t7n116
https://voiceofsandiego.org/2015/04/20/where-san-diego-gets-its-water-and-where-it-goes/
https://www.sdcwa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2020-UWMP_Final-Print-Version-July-2021-1.pdf
https://www.sandiego.gov/public-utilities/customer-service/water-wastewater-facilities
 WATER STRATEGIES
San Diego officials are aware that the reliance on imported water sources for this region is not
sustainable. They have begun many strategies that aim to help manage water in San Diego so that future
water can be supplied from local sources. Figure 4 illustrates the water portfolio for San Diego and their
attempts to diversify it by 2045

Carlsbad Desalination Plant

The Carlsbad Desalination Plant is a high tech state-of-
the-art desalination plant that is able to turn saltwater
into drinkable water for hundreds of thousands of San
Diego residents. This plant, finished in 2015, is a mixed
private and public development led by Poseidon Water, a
company that creates water desalination and
Figure 4. San Diego County Water Portfolio management infrastructure. This plant is responsible for

Pure Water 10% of San Diego’s water supply(SDCWA) and is the

largest desalination plant in the Western Hemisphere and
The Pure Water program in San Diego aims to use can supply 50 million gallons of drinking water daily.
water purification strategies to recycle (Carlsbad Desalination Plant) The building is located next
wastewater. This will allow San Diego to supply door to the Encina power station and has won numerous
nearly half of their water locally, by the year 2035. awards for its efficiency. This desalination plant has been
(San Diego) This program will allow San Diego to a tremendous success and can supply water to help
produce 30 million gallons of water every day. This millions of people even during tremendous droughts. “As
project will cost $1.4 billion and will greatly reduce long as there is an Ocean within reach, San Diego will
the region's reliance on imported water. The have water.”
project has seen numerous delays and costs that
have risen to $5 Billion. (Garrick 2021) Figure 5
illustrates the purification process for Pure Water.
Through this process, we can see that San Diego
uses all three types of water reuse. Pure Water
states that they can produce one-third of San
Diego’s water supply by 2035. (Pure Water San
Diego) Although this is an expensive project, it will
create numerous jobs and allow San Diego to
spend less money importing water.

Rainwater Barrel
Harvesting Figure 5. Pure Water Purification Process
The city of San Diego offers rebates for people who
install rainwater barrels in their homes. The
government is willing to give $1 for every gallon of Overall, these strategies have been
rainwater storage on your property, up to $400 per a major success. Over the past 20
property. This is a great idea, because “1,000 square years, the SDCWA has reported that
feet of roof surface captures 625 gallons of water for per capita water use has decreased
every 1 inch of rain that falls.” (SD Public Utilities) from 220 gallons to 135 gallons. In
Although this idea is great on paper, there are several the same timeframe, “potable
limitations that prevent this from becoming a water use fell by approximately 30
mainstream success. For starters, not many people percent, even though the region’s
know about this rebate program. Also, there are population grew by almost 20
several requirements needed in order to qualify, percent.” (SDCWA)
including submitting your W-9 form and applications.
They also don’t allow homemade rainwater barrels to
qualify. The rainwater barrel harvesting program in San
Diego is a great idea but has failed to become a part of
the community.

https://www.water-technology.net/projects/carlsbaddesalination/
https://www.epa.gov/wifia/pure-water-san-diego
https://www.carlsbaddesal.com/
https://www.sdcwa.org/your-water/water-use/
https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/rain_barrel_guidelines_fy_19.pdf
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/politics/story/2021-03-06/san-diegos-pure-water-sewage-recycling-system-ready-for-construction-after-litigation-delays
https://www.sdcwa.org/your-water/local-water-supplies/seawater-desalination/
https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/city_of_san_diego_2020_uwmp_final_6_29_2021_send.pdf
https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/legacy/water/pdf/purewater/2014/fs_purewater.pdf
AGRICULTURE PRODUCTION

San Diego County has several farms, most of which are located on the Eastern side of the
county, where the population is lower.

Of the many crops grown in San Diego County, the most common crops fall under the
nursery and cut flower category. This category is dominated by bedding plants and
succulents, ornamental trees and shrubs, and indoor flower and foliage plants.

Bedding plants, color, perennials, cacti, and succulents are the most commonly grown crops
in San Diego County with an economic value of $445 million. These plants accounted for 28%
of agriculture production in 2021. (SDFarmBureau)

Ornamental trees and shrubs accounted for 22% of the total production, with an economic
value of $375 million. (SDFarmBureau)

Indoor flower and foliage plants, such s poinsettias, were the third highest-valued crop
grown in the county, with $310 million of economic value. (SDFarmBureau) In terms of value
per acre, no crop compares to indoor flower and foliage plants.

In 2020, plant shipments went to 39 different countries, with 72% of them going to Mexico.
The second biggest trade partner was Canada. The most commonly exported crop was
Ornamental trees and shrubs. (San Diego County)

San Diego has to import the vast majority of agriculture they use. There are fruit trees and
avocado plants that can be found locally, but other than that, everything else must be
imported. Items like yeast, wheat corn, etc must be imported in order for residents of this
county to get them. San Diego has faced numerous issues regarding the reliance on
resources like food and water from other locations and is doing their best to minimize their
reliance on importing. goods

https://www.sdfarmbureau.org/top-crops/
https://www.sdfarmbureau.org/san-diego-agriculture/
https://awmsdcropreport.com/
https://croplandcros.scinet.usda.gov/
https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/dam/sdc/awm/docs/2021CropReportEN.pdf
 URBAN
AGRICULTURE
STRATEGIES
Urban Agriculture Incentive Zone Program
The UAIZ is a program that gives tax incentives
to those who lease out their land for agricultural
use. Citizens of San Diego can lease out their
vacant land that is between 0.1 and 3 acres for a
minimum of 5 years in order to qualify for a tax
incentive. This is a way that the government is
trying “to encourage agriculture and healthy
living in urban neighborhoods” (San Diego) by
promoting gardening and natural produce,
rather than the unhealthy processed food that
runs rampant in urban centers all over the
world.

PACE Program
The Purchase of Agricultural Conservation
Easement or PACE Program is a county-wide
program that aims to encourage “the long-term
preservation of agriculture in the County of San
Diego.” (San Diego County) Property owners of
agricultural land can place easements on their
property that maintain its use as agricultural
only, in an effort to preserve valuable farmland.
These owners are financially compensation to
prevent them from selling their land to property
developers. An acre of homes is worth more than
an acre of avocadoes

Project New Village

PNV is not a city-led program, but a local
nonprofit that aims to address the food desert
that many people in San Diego are living in. This
organization aims to improve the accessibility of
healthy foods in southwest San Diego. This
nonprofit achieves this by owning and
maintaining their community garden. The city of
San Diego has several community gardens,
which turn into markets where people can sell
their crops. (Mclaughlin 2022) Project New
Village has created a People’s Produce mobile
farmer’s market in an effort to maximize their
healthy food reach. (SDVoice)

https://www.sandiego.gov/economic-development/business/starting/urban-agriculture
https://kresge.org/news-views/project-new-village-using-urban-agriculture-to-promote-neighborhood-revitalization/
https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/pds/advance/PACE.html
https://sdvoice.info/project-new-village-launches-peoples-produce-mobile-farmers-market-truck/
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