City Efforts

The City of Carlsbad is doing its part to help save our precious water resources. Here is a partial list of our current efforts.

Parks

• Recycled water is used at half of all of the city’s community parks, including the five largest.
• The city uses dozens of “smart controllers” and water efficient irrigation systems and is continuing to upgrade its other irrigation controllers/systems.
• The city has seven artificial turf athletic fields and one artificial turf event area at its parks.

Fixtures

• About three-fourths of city facilities have low flow toilets. The city has plans to replace 44 more with low flow models and 106 with dual flush valves.
• Waterless urinals have been installed in restrooms where increased maintenance is not an issue. The city plans to replace 35 additional urinals with waterless models.
• Most of the faucets installed in city facilities are water saving models.

Landscaping

• The city has a water efficient landscape ordinance that establishes requirements for planning, design, installation and maintenance of water efficient landscapes in new construction.
• Drought tolerant plants are used routinely in new landscaping.
• Natural mulch is being used routinely in landscaped planters to retain moisture in the soil.
• Hundreds of broadcast spray irrigation heads have been replaced with more water efficient stream rotor spray irrigation heads.
• Designated decorative grass that is not irrigated with recycled water is being replaced with drought tolerant landscaping.
• The city has stopped irrigating the property adjacent to the Cole Library.

Recycled Water

• Carlsbad currently has the third largest production of recycled water in the region and is planning to double the recycling plant’s capacity next year.
• The city has approximately 79 miles of recycled distribution pipeline. This distribution system supplies more than 700 points of connection, including:
  • La Costa Golf Course, Park Hyatt Resort and Golf Course
  • The Crossings @ Carlsbad Golf Course
  • Legoland California
  • Grand Pacific Palisades Hotel
  • Karl Strauss Brewery
  • The Flower Fields
• Recycled water is also supplied to many of the Carlsbad parks, facilities, median planters, shopping areas, freeway landscaping and common areas of homeowners associations.

Supporting Conservation

• The city is actively promoting increased water conservation through a public awareness campaign.
• The city holds regular water wise landscaping workshops.
• The city offers free home water use surveys.
• Water district staff call the largest water users each month and offer one-on-one advice for reducing consumption.