Agricultural Water Management Program
The Agricultural Water Management Program provides free irrigation system evaluations at agricultural properties with at least one acre of irrigated crops or trees. Emission uniformity and pressure readings are determined for each system and recommendations are provided along with crop data and technical information about the types of irrigation equipment in use. The program is free to agricultural irrigators in the Water Authority’s service area. For more details or to schedule a site evaluation, call the Mission Resource Conservation District at (760) 728-1332.
Community Partnering Program
The Metropolitan Water District’s Community Partnering Program provides sponsorships for community-based organizations including nonprofit groups, professional associations, educational institutions and public agencies.
Applications should promote discussion and educational activities for regional water conservation and water-use efficiency issues. Metropolitan provides support for community water awareness programs, water-related education outreach programs, and public policy water conferences.
For program eligibility, funding criteria, and more information, visit the MWD Community Outreach page.
Innovative Conservation Program
The Metropolitan Water District’s Innovative Conservation Program (ICP) provides funding in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA), the Central Arizona Project (CAP), the Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) and Western Resource Advocates for research that will document water savings and reliability of innovative water savings devices. The objective is to evaluate the water saving potential and reliability of innovative water saving devices, technologies, and strategies.
For more information including past projects and contact information, visit bewaterwise.com.
Services
WaterSmart Checkup
A certified landscape irrigation auditor will survey and provide written site-specific water-saving recommendations for qualifying non-residential properties within the Water Authority’s service area at no cost. Eligible landscapes include commercial and industrial sites, homeowner association common areas, and institutional sites like schools, parks and government facilities.
- Apply at watersmartcheckup.org
- Schedule a site walk-through for approved applicants.
- Receive observations, recommendations, and if applicable, test results.
- Choose what you will do and when. There’s no obligation.
- Start saving! Although water-savings vary by property, you may save up to 20% and some sites may even save more.
Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper Training
The Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper program is free local training providing landscape professionals with 20 hours of education on principles of proper plant selection for the local climate, irrigation system design and maintenance, and irrigation system programming and operation.
QWEL was developed by the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership and brought to San Diego by the San Diego County Water Authority and its 24 member agencies.
In order to obtain the QWEL certificate, an individual must demonstrate their ability to perform an irrigation system audit and pass the QWEL exam.
The list of topics covered in the QWEL curriculum includes:
• Where Your Water Comes From
• Irrigation Systems
• Efficient Irrigation
• Soils
• Plants
• Water Management
• Determining Water Budgets
• Irrigation Scheduling
• Irrigation Controllers
• Valve, Controller and Field Wire Trouble Shooting
• Technology
• Putting It All Together
Agricultural Information
The moderate and virtually frost-free coastal and inland valley areas of San Diego county are able to support a wide variety of subtropical crops, making the San Diego region a unique agricultural region. In fact, agriculture contributes an estimated $5.1 billion to the local economy. For information on the role of the County of San Diego’s Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures, visit their website at sdcounty.ca.gov/awm. For information on the San Diego County Farm Bureau and its role as the leading advocate for the farm community through its work with elected officials, government agencies, educators, the public, and the media, visit sdfarmbureau.org.
Agricultural Water Management Council
The Agricultural Water Management Council is an organization dedicated to achieving greater water management efficiency in the agricultural sector.
California Irrigation Management Information System (CIMIS)
The California Irrigation Management Information System (CIMIS) manages a network of over 120 automated weather stations in the state of California that provides information useful for irrigation scheduling.