San Diego Integrated Regional Water Management Plan

1) Implementation of Integrated Landscape and Agricultural Efficiency Programs

LPS: San Diego County Water Authority

Total Project Costs: $5,438,936 • Funding Match: $3,357,306 • Grant Funding: $2,081,630

This project aims at increasing water efficiency in urban landscapes and agricultural practices, and improving water quality by reducing runoff associated with excessive irrigation. Through this project, SDCWA intends to conduct agricultural audits that will improve water efficiency without compromising crops or agricultural production. SDCWA will also address landscape water efficiency by completing a series of outreach, education, and retrofitting programs. The programs that comprise this project have the potential to achieve over 3,600 AFY of water savings.

2) Irrigation Hardware Giveaway and Cash for Plants Project

LPS: City of San Diego

Total Project Costs: $1,485,789 • Funding Match: $378,128 • Grant Funding: $1,107,661

This project aims at providing customers of the City of San Diego with a customized irrigation survey and analysis, system improvements, and irrigation hardware at no costs. This project also consists of implementing a rebate program (Cash for Plants) that encourages residential customers to convert to low water use landscapes.

3) Over-Irrigation Runoff/Bacteria Reduction Project

LPS: City of Encinitas

Total Project Costs: $315,620 • Funding Match: $83,870 • Grant Funding: $231,750

This project aims to protect and/or enhance water quality by reducing irrigation runoff through improved water use efficiency at eight pilot sites located within the Carlsbad Watershed in San Diego County. The objectives of the project are to provide measurable water conservation and water quality benefits and to demonstrate the link between over irrigation reductions and reductions in pollutant loads. This will be accomplished through water use assessments, flow monitoring, and water quality monitoring both on-site and at key locations in the storm drain system. This project will conserve an estimated 353 AFY of water.

4) Padre Dam Water Reclamation Facility Expansion Project

LPS: Padre Dam Municipal Water District

Total Project Costs: $41,315,000 • Funding Match: $38,225,000 • Grant Funding: $3,090,000

This project includes the design and construction of facilities necessary to expand the Title 22 treatment capacity of the Padre Dam Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) from 2 MGD to 4 MGD, with further expansion to 10 MGD and advanced treatment in a subsequent phase. This project is part of a coordinated effort to jointly implement two projects that will enhance local supplies through an expansion of recycled water production coupled with increased groundwater recharge using recycled water. Based on a recent study, the WRF will utilize an existing treatment process, which involves tertiary microfiltration followed by reverse osmosis and advance oxidation.

5) Recycled Water Retrofit Assistance Program

LPS: San Diego County Water Authority

Total Project Costs: $1,652,800 • Funding Match: $828,800 • Grant Funding: $824,000

This project provides direct financial assistance to various types of customers to facilitate the conversion from potable to recycled water for landscape irrigation and other uses. The project will reimburse all, or a portion of the reasonable costs incurred by customers for retrofit work reviewed and approved by member agencies. The project will target approximately 20-40 sites throughout SDCWA’s service area, which will allow approximately 2,000 AFY of additional recycled water to be used. SDCWA’s ultimate goal is to promote the development of recycled water supplying 5% of the region’s water demand by 2011.

6) Recycled Water Distribution System Expansion and Parklands Retrofits, and Indirect Potable Reuse/Reservoir Augmentation Demonstration Project

LPS: City of San Diego

Total Project Costs: $20,609,750 • Funding Match: $17,185,000 • Grant Funding: $3,424,750

This project has three parts, which together assist the City of San Diego in achieving its target of beneficially reusing 50% of wastewater flows from its North City Water Reclamation Plant. This project includes a million gallon per day water purification demonstration project that will provide data for the community to decide whether or not to proceed with a full-scale potable reuse project in 2013. The project also includes construction of pipelines to expand the existing recycled water distribution area, and adding recycled water connections to irrigate parks and public spaces. Using recycled water reduces imported water demand and increases local water supply, and results in less wastewater discharged into the ocean.

7) San Vicente Reservoir Source Water Protection through Watershed Property Acquisition and Restoration Educational Demonstration Wetland Project

LPS: San Diego County Water Authority

Total Project Costs: $4,682,897 • Funding Match: $3,522,980 • Grant Funding: $1,159,917

This project will acquire and restore lands around San Vicente Reservoir for the purpose of creating and expanding the drinking source water protection buffer. The keystone in San Diego's reservoir system, San Vicente Reservoir, ultimately supplies water to nearly two million people. Lands more distant from the reservoir, but still within its watershed, will be identified and acquired for the purpose of source water protection.

8) El Capitan Reservoir Watershed Acquisition and Restoration Program

LPS: San Diego River Park Foundation

Total Project Costs: $1,171,145 • Funding Match: $134,000 • Grant Funding: $1,037,145

The ultimate goal for this project is to acquire and restore vacant undeveloped lands upstream and in the immediate vicinity of the El Capitan Reservoir, and conduct restoration activities to these lands to reduce erosion and improve vegetation quality. The project will protect source water quality at the reservoir by reducing the potential for nonpoint source pollution from development, removing trash and debris from the properties, planting 800 trees, maintaining a biologically significant wildlife corridor, and preserving habitat.

9) Northern San Diego County Invasive Non-Native Species Control Program

LPS: Mission Resource Conservation District

Total Project Costs: $3,125,533 • Funding Match: $2,070,199 • Grant Funding: $1,055,334

This project will eradicate 373.5 acres of targeted invasive non-native plant species throughout Northern San Diego County to protect and enhance habitat, conserve water resources, protect water delivery and storage systems by reducing flood risk and damage, improve water quality by reducing erosion through minimizing bank failures and normalizing sediment discharge processes, and reduce risk of fire.

10) Santa Margarita Conjunctive Use Project

LPS: Fallbrook Public Utilities District (PUD)

Total Project Costs: $177,582,896 • Funding Match: $174,942,937 • Grant Funding: $2,639,959

This project provides for enhanced recharge and recovery from the groundwater basin underlying Camp Pendleton to provide a water supply for Camp Pendleton and Fallbrook as resolution of a long-standing water rights dispute. The project will provide approximately 6,800 AFY of new local supply by conjunctively managing local groundwater basins. Additionally, 1,380 acres of sensitive habitat will be preserved along the Santa Margarita River. The project also includes a seawater intrusion barrier using recycled water and a distribution system able to deliver water to both the Fallbrook PUD and the SDCWA aqueduct system. Membrane treatment of extracted groundwater and brine disposal will reduce total dissolved solids within the lower basin.

11) Carlsbad Desalination Project Local Conveyance

LPS: Olivenhain Municipal Water District

Total Project Costs: $80,063,784 • Funding Match: $77,873,867 • Grant Funding: $2,189,917

This project provides for enhanced recharge and recovery from the groundwater basin underlying Camp Pendleton to provide a water supply for Camp Pendleton and Fallbrook as resolution of a long-standing water rights dispute. The project will provide approximately 6,000 AFY of new local supply by conjunctively managing local groundwater basins. Additionally, 1,380 acres of sensitive habitat will be preserved along the Santa Margarita River. The project also includes a seawater intrusion barrier using recycled water and a distribution system able to deliver water to both the Fallbrook PUD and Camp Pendleton from the SDCWA aqueduct system. The project consists of both the facilities to be built at Camp Pendleton, and the facilities to be built within Fallbrook PUD’s jurisdiction.

12) San Diego Region Four-Reservoir Intertie Project Conceptual Design

LPS: Sweetwater Authority

Total Project Costs: $2,022,784 • Funding Match: $1,240,540 • Grant Funding: $782,244

This project will provide initial design and a work plan for a conveyance system that will increase the capability to manage and store imported water in four existing reservoirs. Connecting these reservoirs would create an enhanced and integrated reservoir system to more efficiently use existing storage, increase water supply reliability, more efficiently supply water at the lowest possible cost, more effectively use imported water aqueducts, increase accessibility to approximately 100,000 AF of surface storage without creating new reservoirs or new storage capacity, and take advantage of potential energy management opportunities.

13) South San Diego County Water Supply Strategy

LPS: Sweetwater Authority

Total Project Costs: $1,359,128 • Funding Match: $1,045,743 • Grant Funding: $313,385

This project will investigate the sustainable use of the apparently vast groundwater resources of the San Diego Formation (SDF), a natural underground aquifer that underlies the central and south San Diego Bay. This extensive local water resource has the potential to significantly supplement local water supplies and reduce dependence on imported water through its efficient development and use. The project will consist of an implementation study of the SDF to further understanding of sustainable water extraction and potential in-lieu conjunctive use, and to guide the development of a future development and use strategy.

14) El Monte Valley Groundwater Recharge and River Restoration Project, Phases 1 & 2

LPS: Helix Water District

Total Project Costs: $50,076,183 • Funding Match: $47,460,582 • Grant Funding: $2,615,601

This project would recharge the El Monte Valley Basin using highly treated recycled water, raise the groundwater level to support habitat restoration, and subsequently withdraw up to 2,240 AFY of groundwater to supply the R.M. Levy Water Treatment Plant. Phase 1 would develop the necessary Groundwater Management Plan and institutional support, and Phase 2 includes design and construction of spreading basins, conveyance pipelines and river restoration. This project will connect the distribution system to the Padre Dam Municipal Water District as well as the Lakeside Water District.

15) San Diego Regional Pollution Prevention Project

LPS: San Diego CoastKeeper

Total Project Costs: $861,588 • Funding Match: $140,588 • Grant Funding: $721,000

This project will remove trash and debris and assess the water quality within San Diego County through citizen monitoring. The project seeks to establish a baseline of trash and water quality data that will be transferable to local communities within the San Diego Region. Data collected through this project will be incorporated into two web-based, publicly accessible data portals. Stakeholder involvement and community participation are at the core of this project. The project will teach a minimum of 300 members of the community – citizens, decision makers, tribal members, and stakeholders - how to access publicly available water quality data and to analyze and interpret these data to identify water quality impacts on a watershed level.

16) Biofiltration Wetland Creation and Education Program

LPS: Zoological Society of San Diego (San Diego Safari Park)

Total Project Costs: $862,100 • Funding Match: $141,100 • Grant Funding: $721,000

This project will develop a biofiltration wetland within the Safari Park, which will be used to improve water quality within the Safari Park through natural biological filtration, enhance wetlands habitat, and reduce water consumption. The constructed wetlands will be biological filters that are very effective at removing high biological oxygen demand, total suspended solids, organic nitrogen, and nitrates. In addition to constructed wetlands, providing pond edge habitat is another important aspect of this project. Finally, the wetlands will also be used to educate visitors about water conservation and the importance of conserving wetlands.

17) San Dieguito Watershed Management Plan Implementation Project – Lake Hodges Natural Treatment System Conceptual Design

LPS: San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy (SDRVC)

Total Project Costs: $189,910 • Funding Match: $90,000 • Grant Funding: $99,910

This project is being managed by the Natural Treatment Systems Working Group of the San Dieguito Watershed Council, with SDRVC. The project will provide initial design and a work plan for reduction of pollution loads to the City of San Diego’s Lake Hodges Reservoir, which is a water supply source for north county communities and is planned to be intertied to the regional water supply system. Natural treatment systems, such as restored and constructed wetlands are an established cost-effective and environmentally sound way to reduce pollutant loading.

18) Green Mall Porous Paving and Infiltration Project, Phase 1

LPS: City of San Diego

Total Project Costs: $781,392 • Funding Match: $523,892 • Grant Funding: $257,500

This project will retrofit storm water systems on two streets located within the tributary area of the Chollas Creek sub-watershed, allowing urban runoff and pollutants carried with the storm water to infiltrate into the ground instead of discharging directly to the storm drain system and adjacent water bodies. Existing asphalt street paving will be replaced with pervious concrete. Existing curbs and gutters will be moved into the street, and bio-retention systems of crushed rock and trees will be installed in the created space. The project will include water quality monitoring and educational outreach.

19) Chollas Creek Runoff Reduction and Groundwater Recharge Project

LPS: County of San Diego/Department of General Services

Total Project Costs: $728,000 • Funding Match: $110,000 • Grant Funding: $618,000

This project will demonstrate practical implementation of a range of low impact development (LID) practices to reduce runoff from three County of San Diego facilities in the Chollas Creek sub-watershed. These facilities occupy sites that are highly impervious and could be retrofitted with LID components to promote infiltration and reduce runoff. Each site will demonstrate a different combination of technologies and techniques, allowing a comparison of the relative effectiveness of the employed methods. The project helps to reduce transport of pollutants to Chollas Creek, which is listed as impaired by copper, lead, and zinc.