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Opinion: Yes, Southern California, We Have a Water Shortage Emergency Too

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Times Editorial Board

So Southern Californians didn’t decrease their water usage in July, despite Gov. Gavin Newsom’s request for a voluntary 15% cutback?

Well, of course not. The dusty lake beds, the dry spigots, the serious water-use cutback orders and the most frightening wildfires (so far, anyway) have been in Northern California, and that’s where Newsom focused his most dire warnings. He declared a drought emergency in Mendocino and Sonoma counties in April, expanded it to 41 counties in May, and then to 50 counties in July — but not Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, San Diego, Riverside or San Bernardino counties. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California warned of unprecedented shortages in Lake Mead and has launched an advertising campaign calling for increased conservation. But the MWD is the victim of its own success, in that it has done a superb job over the decades supplying enough water so that residents generally don’t think about shortages.

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Water District Directors Critical of LAFCO Report

/in , , /by /Ramona Sentinelby Julie Gallant

Ramona Municipal Water District directors at their Sept. 14 meeting were critical of a report that recommends a different form of governance for Ramona, but did consider whether the plan could bring tax benefits.

During a presentation by the Local Agency Formation Commission, analyst Priscilla Allen shared highlights of the LACFO report that makes 14 recommendations, chief among them to reorganize the water district into a Community Services District — an intermediary step that would give unincorporated Ramona more local control and a potential segue into incorporation.

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A Tiny Piece of Plastic Is Helping Farmers Use Far Less Water

/in , /by /Bloomberg Businessweekby Elizabeth G. Dunn

On the bone-dry western flank of Arizona, where the Colorado River Basin meets the Mojave Desert, sit 11,000 acres of alfalfa, sorghum, wheat, and Sudan grass belonging to the Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT), all destined to be harvested and sold for animal feed. For anything to grow here, irrigation is a must. Less than a quarter inch of rain has fallen so far this year, according to Josh Moore, who manages the farm on behalf of his tribe.

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Supes Boost Water Reuse Requirements for New Buildings

/in , /by /San Francisco Examinerby Bay City News

New buildings will need to collect and reuse much more water than what is required for existing buildings, after the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved new regulations Tuesday.

The ordinance more than doubles the amount of water that new large buildings will be required to collect and reuse on site, said Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, its author. He said it also directs the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission to come up with a plan for expanding The City’s supply and use of recycled water.

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Contamination a ‘Huge Challenge’ For Affordable Drinking Water in California

/in , /by /Capital and Mainby Dan Ross

Francisco Diaz remembers when the water piped to his home in the Central Valley community of Monterey Park Tract made everything smell rotten, including himself.

“We had to take our clothes and go to the city and wash it over there because if you had washed it here and put it on, you’d stink,” said Diaz, who heads the Monterey Park Tract Community Service District, a form of specialized local government. “We couldn’t even take showers.”

Unsurprisingly, the water was undrinkable. Agricultural run-off, heavy in potentially toxic nitrates, had contaminated both wells that supplied water to Monterey Park Tract, nestled amid the crop fields and dairy farms of Stanislaus County.

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A 7.1 Earthquake Couldn’t Kill this Mojave Desert Town. But a Water War Just Might

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Thomas Curwen

On the northern edge of the Mojave Desert, a new trauma has awakened old concerns: What happens if a town’s water gets shut off? The question keeps Danny Tolbert awake most nights. Two years ago his taps ran dry after a 7.1 earthquake nearly brought down his house and community. That was three months before his stroke, before he learned how diseased his heart was.

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Following a few smart irrigation tips will make the most of the water applied to your landscaping. Photo: Vallecitos Water District

Smart Landscape Irrigation Tips Save Water

/in , /by

During drought, it’s more important than ever to conserve water used for irrigation. When you follow just a few smart landscaping irrigation tips, you can get the most from every drop of water applied to your landscaping.

Don’t overspray your landscaping

Don't allow your spriinklers to overspray your landscaping and waste water. Photo: Wikimedia irrigation tips

Don’t allow your sprinklers to overspray your landscaping and waste water. Photo: Wikimedia

Watch your irrigation while the system is running. Check to make sure sprinkler heads aren’t spraying water onto sidewalks, patios, or structures.

If water is being applied too fast for your soil to absorb, runoff will occur. This needs to be prevented.

Puddling and pooling water may be an indication your water is being applied too fast or too often. Adjust your system until this isn’t happening anymore.

Repairs to broken pipes and sprinkler heads should be made immediately, or your system should be turned off until those repairs can be made.

Eliminate runoff with cycle and soak programming

Watch how quickly runoff happens when running irrigation. This is the maximum run time for your irrigation controller in a particular hydrozone.

Divide the total irrigation minutes recommended for the specific hydrozone condition into shorter blocks of time before runoff starts. For example, if you should irrigate for 15  minutes but runoff starts within five minutes, irrigate in three five-minute cycles. Allow a 30-minute rest period in between irrigation cycles.

Hand watering that works

Hand watering can be an effective method to water your landscaping. Photo: Ryan McGuire / Pixabay irrigation tips

Hand watering can be an effective method to water your landscaping. Photo: Ryan McGuire / Pixabay

Hand watering is especially good when your garden is getting established. You can spend more time watching your plants to be sure they are flourishing in the early stages.

When your landscape plants are new, you may need to water more frequently because roots are shallower. Roots on a newly planted one-gallon plant are only four to ten inches deep. This is why it’s a smart idea to plant during the rainy season.

Before hand watering, look at your plants. Do they appear droopy? Is the soil very dry? If so, give the plants a good drink. Don’t water more than two days in a row. Let the soil dry out completely before watering again. Overwatering and underwater symptoms can be similar.

Once your plants are established after the first year, your sustainable garden will  not need watering more than once or twice a month – if at all. Stop watering after the first seasonal rains begin and let nature take over.

This article is part of a year-long series inspired by the 71-page Sustainable Landscapes Program guidebook. The Water Authority and its partners also offer other great resources for landscaping upgrades, including free WaterSmart classes at WaterSmartSD.org.

San Diego Looks for Partner to Build $1.5B San Vicente Hydro Energy Project

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Rob Nikolewski Quoted: San Diego Union-Tribune

The project is on the drawing board. Now the San Diego County Water Authority and the city of San Diego are looking for a private partner to build and operate a pumped energy storage facility at the San Vicente Reservoir.

The Water Authority and the city have issued a request for proposal to find a suitable team to develop one of the state’s largest “pumped hydro” projects that would add megawattage and flexibility to California’s electric grid. Proposals from potential partners will remain open until Nov. 3.

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Top 10 Tips for Saving Water This Fall

/in , , /by /Water News Network

As drought conditions persist throughout the Southwest, the San Diego County Water Authority and its member agencies continue to actively support the state’s call for a 15% voluntary reduction in water use.

San Diego County residents and businesses can continue WaterSmart practices this fall by following these simple and easy tips to save water.

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Much of California Missing the Mark in Water-Conservation Efforts During Drought

/in , , /by /CBS8 San Diego by Richard Allyn Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

 Months after Governor Gavin Newsom asked Californians to voluntarily cut back on their water use during this severe drought, much of the state is missing the mark.

While the initial data is limited, the Southern California region has so far managed to cut its water consumption by just a tenth of a percent.

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