I’m incredibly proud of all San Diegans for taking water conservation so seriously. It’s now official: the citizens of San Diego have exceeded the target goal of reducing water consumption by 8 percent for the 2010 fiscal year, which ended June 30. Given that water will be in short supply for the foreseeable future, I can’t overstate the importance of this accomplishment. In fact, we’ve seen a reduction of more than 12 percent citywide in the year since the city imposed mandatory water restrictions. San Diegans are turning off the water when shaving and brushing their teeth. They’re heeding the city’s rules on lawn watering and other outdoor irrigation. City government is doing its part, too. I recently visited Canyonside Community Park, the latest public park to tap into the city’s recycled-water system. By using recycling water for the park’s irrigation needs, the city’s Park and Recreation Department is saving 13 million gallons of drinking water a year. That’s 13 million gallons that we won’t have to import into San Diego from places such as Northern California or the Colorado River. We can’t rest on our laurels. An extended drought and pumping restrictions in the Bay Delta region continue to make water extremely scarce. We have received word from the San Diego County Water Authority — the city’s water wholesaler — that we won’t see any increase in our water allocation for the fiscal year that began July 1. In simple terms, this means we must continue to do exactly what we’ve been doing. The city’s water-use restrictions will remain in place indefinitely. These rules include limiting your outdoor irrigation to no more than three days a week on your designated watering days. All the Level 2 drought restrictions can be found on the city’s Web site at: http://www.sandiego.gov/water/conservation/drought/droughtlevels2.shtml. Again, congratulations, San Diego. And remember the city’s award-winning slogan — “No Time to Waste, No Water to Waste.”