A Time Series Assessment of Water Conservation Strategies for the San Bernardino Mountain Communities

RM 218

With prevalent drought conditions impacting California over the past several decades, the uncertainty of water availability to support a growing human population and diverse ecosystems should be addressed through multiple strategies. The major supply of water to Southern California comes from groundwater and surface water imported from North of California through the Sacramento-San Juaquin Delta through the State Water Project infrastructure (Crider, 2014). Annual water allocations are primarily linked to snow pack conditions in the Sierra Mountains and the water needs of local populations. Due to the complexities of these allocations, the water districts of Big Bear, Crestline and Arrowhead have adopted various techniques to reduce their water consumption. (Crestline-Arrowhead Water District). The goal is for these techniques to more effectively help manage their water allocations in times of drought. This study looked at multiple factors including climatic conditions, SWP annual allocations and when and to what extent these districts implement water conservation strategies over a 10-year period. Results of this study are important because they may assist districts in identifying potential lag times between when drought conditions are present and when they require water conservation regulations to be implemented. Identifying these temporal characteristics may lead to more efficient conservation strategies that protect water resources during and between climatic droughts.