For more than a decade, San Diegans have been volunteering to save this precious resource.

"The willingness of San Diegans to conserve water has been key to meeting our goals," says Chris Robbins, Supervising Management Analyst for the City of San Diego’s Water Conservation Program. "Entrusting the community to voluntarily conserve water has worked during drought seasons, and recent experience has shown that it also works during non-drought years as well."

Volunteering to save water not only comes from individuals, but also from a diverse range of community partners. The Water Conservation Program is also working with various local and regional industry groups and professional organizations to help inform the public and provide tips on how to conserve water both at home and at work.

"We are always looking for ways we can educate our clients as well as ourselves about water conservation," Rob McGann, Vice President of the San Diego chapter of the California Landscape Contractors Association. "We were more than happy to lend a helping hand by providing a link to the City’s Landscape Watering Calculator on our industry website as an additional resource for landscape maintenance, and so far it is a hit."

Why not join the thousands of San Diegans who have already volunteered to conserve water? Here are some easy tips from Luis Generoso, Water Resources Manager, for how you can get started:

• Keep a jug or pitcher of water in the refrigerator to fill your glass, instead of letting the water run down the sink when you want a cool drink.

• Collect water used from rinsing produce, and reuse it to water houseplants.

• Defrost frozen food by placing it in the refrigerator overnight or using a microwave, instead of putting it under running hot water.

• If you have a fish tank that needs to be cleaned out, use its water as a fertilizer treatment on your houseplants because it is rich in nitrogen and phosphorous.

• Use a trigger nozzle when washing the car to prevent the hose from running additional water, or take your car to a carwash that uses recycled water.

• Request a free on-site evaluation of your indoor and outdoor home water use, complete with recommendations, by calling the City of San Diego Water Department’s Residential Water Survey Program at (619) 515-3500.