Water Imports

Currently, we import approximately 90 percent of our water. That’s right—most of the water we use to quench our thirst, shower, wash cars, grow grass, conduct business and more travels up to 400 miles to flow through our taps.

And even that imported water supply is threatened:

• our main source of water – the Colorado River – is drying up;
• A legal decision to protect an endangered fish in Northern California results in less water from our second leading source, the San Joaquin Delta;
• a near-historic drought reduces the little amount of local water we rely on; and
• increasing populations add demand for water while our supplies diminish.

To make matters worse, climate change concerns highlight the huge amount of energy required to transport water to San Diego. In fact, the California State Water Project is the largest single user of energy in California. The state uses 19 percent of its energy to transport water. And to deliver water from the San Francisco Bay-Delta to Southern California, the project uses two to three percent of all electricity consumed in the state.

The good news is that you can help. Implement simple water conservation steps to save the amount of water you use, subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed on San Diego’s water supply issues and donate to San Diego Coastkeeper to support our work to secure your clean water future.