San Diego County residents may not need to save as much water as they saved at this time last year. “We’re easing our drought restrictions,” said Vallecitos Water District spokesman Chris Robbins. “We’re going to be able to let them use more water than we have.” Robbins said the State of California previously asked Vallecitos customers to conserve 24% of their water. “Because of the connection to the desal plant over in Carlsbad,” explained Robbins, “We’ve been reduced to 16%.” The Carlsbad Desalination Plant went online in November. Robbins said the 50 million gallons of clean drinking water every day has paid off for San Diego County. “It got most of the agencies an 8% reduction,” he said.

State-mandated water restrictions in San Diego County will be eased soon from 20 percent to 13 percent on average, thanks to the new desalination plant in Carlsbad, officials announced Thursday. The San Diego County Water Authority said state regulators have certified the supply of potable water from the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant as drought-resilient. The plant, which opened in December, is the nation’s largest seawater desalination plant and produces about 50 million gallons per day of high-quality, drought-proof water. 

Carlsbad, Ca., March 10, 2016 - State regulators have certified the supply of potable water from the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant as drought-resilient, reducing the regional impacts of emergency water-use mandates the state imposed in June 2015. Certification by the State Water Resources Control Board lowers the regional aggregate water conservation goal from 20 percent to about 13 percent, though water-use targets will continue to vary by local water agency. On Feb. 2, the State Board extended mandatory conservation measures for water agencies statewide through October and said it would reconsider the regulations after assessing reservoir levels as well as snowpack and regional water supply conditions in April. The State Board also approved supply credits toward meeting conservation targets for agencies that have developed local, drought-resilient supplies since 2013.

State-mandated water restrictions in San Diego County will be eased soon from 20 percent to 13 percent on average, thanks to the new desalination plant in Carlsbad, officials announced Thursday. The San Diego County Water Authority said state regulators have certified the supply of potable water from the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant as drought-resilient.
The plant, which opened in December, is the nation’s largest seawater desalination plant and produces about 50 million gallons per day of high-quality, drought-proof water.