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Hydrozones-Conservation Corner-landscaping

Know the Hydrozone Game Rules

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Hydrozones are the different areas of your landscaping where plants with similar irrigation needs are grouped together.  This allows you to apply water as efficiently as possible through rainwater catchment, supplemented by irrigation, while avoiding unnecessary and wasteful overwatering.

Sun exposure, slopes, and plant root depths need to be taken into consideration along with plant water needs. All these characteristics create specific hydrozones. Even when the soil is the same, a full sun area is one hydrozone, full shade areas are another, and mixed exposure areas create yet a third. Shade from buildings or trees can also raise or lower temperatures.

Each irrigation valve should water its own separate hydrozone populated by plants with similar water needs, living conditions, and root depths. Plants with high water needs such as vegetables or lawns need to be grouped into their own hydrozone. Sprinklers or emitters on this zone shouldn’t overwater anything else.

Don’t overdo it with your irrigation

Inspect your sprinkler heads regularly to make sure they are not obstructed or watering onto pavement or other hardscapes. Photo: Irrigation Association

Inspect your sprinkler heads regularly to make sure they are not obstructed or watering onto the pavement or other hardscapes. Photo: Irrigation Association

Each hydrozone must be able to handle enough water volume for every emitter to work properly. Hydrozones should have individual sprinklers or emitters delivering only the required amount of water, spaced out so every plant in the hydrozone receives an equal and accurate amount. If two sprinklers cross over one another, plants receiving water from both will receive more water than needed. In this example, sprinklers should be turned away from each other, or be reset farther apart. Professional landscapers call this “matched precipitation.” 

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

Gary Croucher-Board Chair-San Diego County Water Authority-Primary

San Diego Region is Drought-Safe This Summer

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Statewide drought conditions are highlighting the value of regionally and locally controlled water supplies in San Diego County, where the Water Authority announced June 21 that the region is protected from drought impacts this summer, and through 2045, despite continued hot and dry conditions. No shortages or regional water-use mandates are in the forecast – the result of three decades of strategic investments that create an aquatic safety net for San Diego County’s $253 billion economy and our quality of life.

The region’s diversified water supply portfolio includes highly reliable and locally controlled supplies, including desalinated seawater from the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant. It also includes high-priority, low-cost, conserved water from the Quantification Settlement Agreement, the nation’s largest conservation-and-transfer agreement. The combination offers significant protection against droughts and other emergencies even during multiple dry years.

San Diego region is “drought-safe” thanks to water-smart practices

I offer my sincere thanks to all San Diegans for everything you have done to make sure that we have enough water to meet the region’s needs now and for decades into the future. You have invested through your water bills and your water-smart practices, and those efforts are paying off in tangible ways.

At the same time, it’s important that we all continue embracing water-use efficiency strategies that have become part of our regional ethic. Simple but important steps include turning off the faucet while brushing teeth, fixing irrigation system leaks, and using hoses with automatic shut-off nozzles.

Thanks again for all you do, and remember to stay water-smart this summer!

Water Is Life-poster contest-Helix Water District

Helix Water District “Water is Life” Student Poster Contest Winners

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The Helix Water District Board of Directors June 16, honored East County student artists for their winning “Water Is Life” posters in an online awards ceremony.

Southern California students in kindergarten through eighth grade are invited to participate in their regional water agency’s Student Poster Art Contest to increase awareness about water conservation. This year, 231 students from 17 schools within the Helix Water District submitted their posters depicting how to use water wisely.

These students took top honors in two categories:

Grades K – 3

First Place – Sofia Cardenas Loera, Lighthouse Christian Academy, Lemon Grove, Grade 3

First Place – Sofia Cardenas Loera, Lighthouse Christian Academy, Lemon Grove, Grade 3

Second Place – Tiffany An, Christ Lutheran School, La Mesa, Grade 3

Second Place – Tiffany An, Christ Lutheran School, La Mesa, Grade 3

Third Place – Stella Stackhouse, Avocado Elementary School, La Mesa, Grade 2

Third Place – Stella Stackhouse, Avocado Elementary School, La Mesa, Grade 2

Honorable Mention – Lucas Regimbal, Christ Lutheran School, La Mesa, Grade 3 Contest Winners

Honorable Mention – Lucas Regimbal, Christ Lutheran School, La Mesa, Grade 3

Honorable Mention – Sanora Atoe, Lexington Elementary School, El Cajon, Grade 3 Contest Winners

Honorable Mention – Sanora Atoe, Lexington Elementary School, El Cajon, Grade 3

Grades 4 – 8

First Place – Kaylee Martin, Highlands Elementary School, Spring Valley, Grade 5 Contest Winners

First Place – Kaylee Martin, Highlands Elementary School, Spring Valley, Grade 5

Second Place – Valeria Ramirez, St. John of the Cross, Lemon Grove, Grade 6

Second Place – Valeria Ramirez, St. John of the Cross, Lemon Grove, Grade 6

Third Place – Hannah Maass, Christ Lutheran School, La Mesa, Grade 8

Third Place – Hannah Maass, Christ Lutheran School, La Mesa, Grade 8

Honorable Mention – Maddy Amezwa Cruz, Literacy First Junior Academy, El Cajon, Grade 8

Honorable Mention – Maddy Amezwa Cruz, Literacy First Junior Academy, El Cajon, Grade 8

Honorable Mention – Sarah Cervantes, Christ Lutheran School, La Mesa, Grade 8

Honorable Mention – Sarah Cervantes, Christ Lutheran School, La Mesa, Grade 8

Winners move on to regional competition

2021 Calendar-Mina Saeed's winning entries appear on the September 2021 page. Photo: MWD

Helix Water District 2020 winner Mina Saeed’s entry appears on the September 2021 calendar page. Photo: Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

Winners now move on to compete with other regional winners for the opportunity to appear in the 2022 Metropolitan Water District of Southern California calendar.

Helix Water District students have been successful in recent state competition. In 2021, art from Jose Sabedra, a fourth-grader from Bostonia Language Academy in El Cajon, and Mina Saeed, also a fourth-grader at Lexington Elementary School in El Cajon, appear in the calendar. They won the 2020 Helix Water District competition.

(Editor’s note: The Helix Water District is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the metropolitan San Diego region.)

Everett’s California Fuchhia is an example of a plant that doesn't like to have wet feet, meaning roots sitting in water. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Get Down to the Roots Of Your Landscaping

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Plants don’t literally have feet to take them on a walk, but landscapers often refer to a plant’s “feet,” or their roots. Plants like – and need – water on their roots to thrive. While plants absorb water through their leaves, it’s not very efficient due to evaporation. Roots absorb the bulk of water a plant needs to thrive through small root hairs, which are thin-walled outgrowths of the plant’s epidermis. The film of water surrounding soil particles provides its irrigation supply.

Horticulturists refer to plant roots in soggy soil as “wet feet.” Plants that can thrive without too much water on their roots are said to have “dry feet.”

The same way people don’t like waterlogged, soggy feet in wet socks on a cold day, plants don’t welcome their roots sitting in standing water. Most plants don’t grow well with excessive moisture at the roots. It can cause rot and other diseases. Very few plants grow in wet areas, and while it isn’t a common problem in the arid Southwestern United States, plants might end up in standing water in poorly drained landscaping.

Five Recommended Plants That Tolerate Wet Feet

The California Native Iris (Iris douglasiaria) is a plant that doesn't mind having "wet feet," or damp roots. Photo: Wikimedia Commons wet feet

The California Native Iris (Iris douglasiaria) is a plant that doesn’t mind having “wet feet,” or damp roots. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

  • Coyote Mint (Mondarella villosa)
  • California Gray Rush (Junous patens)
  • Joaquin Sunflower (Bidena laevis)
  • Deer Grass (Muhlenbergia rigens)
  • California Native Iris (Irish douglasiaria)

Five Recommended Plants That Prefer Wet Feet

Everett’s California Fuschia is an example of a plant that doesn't like to have wet feet, meaning roots sitting in water. Photo: Wikimedia Commons Roots

Everett’s California Fuschia is an example of a plant that doesn’t like to have wet feet, meaning roots sitting in water. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

  • Bluff California Lilac (Ceanothus maritmus)
  • Everett’s California Fuschia (Epilobium canum)
  • Sunset Manzanita (Arctostaphylos Sunset)
  • Hairy Awn Muhly (Muhlerbergia capillans)
  • Blonde Ambition Blue Grama (Boutelous gracilis)

Get advice from the local garden center or horticulturalists familiar with your area for other good choices. In general, native plants match well to similar nature conditions in the landscaping.

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

Gary Croucher-Board Chair-San Diego County Water Authority-Primary

Controlling the Budget and Water Rates in a Challenging Era

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As we head into summer, we look forward to the continued retreat of COVID-19 and a full return to baseball games, barbeques, and graduation celebrations.

We also take a moment to remember that those things we cherish about San Diego County are all based on a reliable supply of water. It is the foundation of everything we do in our semi-arid climate. That’s why I’m so pleased to report that we have reliable supplies through at least 2045, even during multiple dry years like this one. That assurance was part of the 2020 Urban Water Management Plan that the Water Authority Board of Directors recently approved.

Water supply reliability

The Board is also considering the proposed 2022 water rates, along with the budget for fiscal years 2022 and 2023 – a challenging task to say the least. The proposed two-year budget is $1.7 billion, a 0% change from the current two-year budget due to our continuing commitment to cost control. As usual, more than 90% of the recommended budget is for buying and treating water or building and financing infrastructure. This reflects our long-term strategy to invest in supply reliability to meet current and future needs of the San Diego region – a strategy that is paying significant dividends during the current drought hitting most of California.

Water Authority staff also proposed increasing rates and charges for member agencies by 3.6% for treated water and 3.3% for untreated water in calendar year 2022, attributable to more rate increases by the Metropolitan Water District, continued payments for past investments in supply reliability, and inflationary pressures on energy, chemicals, and construction materials.

Rigorous review of budget and water rates

Each budget and rates package undergoes a rigorous review process, as we steward ratepayer funds to ensure continued water supply reliability in support of our $253 billion economy and quality of life. This year’s budget process started in fall 2020 with internal analyses, and it continued with meetings with our retail member agencies over the past several months. The process continued this week with the Board holding a third budget workshop. We expect to vote on the budget and rates package, following any revisions, on June 24.

A final note: I thought you might be interested in this letter that I recently sent to Gov. Newsom to share my appreciation for his leadership navigating the complexities of the current drought and outlining some of our key policy principles. It’s gratifying that the governor has avoided the kind of one-size-fits-all regulations we faced in the last drought – and I encouraged him to stay the course with regards to letting local leaders determine the appropriate response for their areas.

Urban Water Management Plan-2020-San Diego County Water Authority-San Vicente Dam

The San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors May 27 approved the Water Authority’s 2020 Urban Water Management Plan highlighting a “water portfolio approach” that ensures reliable water supplies for the region through the 2045 planning horizon – even during multiple dry years. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

Gracie Chillag of Heritage Charter School placed second in the 2021 Student Poster Contest. Photo: City of Escondido Water awareness Artwork

Water Awareness Artwork Wins Escondido Student Poster Contest

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Twelve winning student artists from Escondido area elementary schools follow in a long tradition of fourth-graders entering the annual City of Escondido Student Poster Contest. Students were asked to depict the 2021 contest theme “Love Water, Save Water” to illustrate the value of water resources through creative, hand-drawn art.

The winning students and their teachers receive prizes. The top 12 posters are displayed on the City of Escondido website.  The first, second, and third place winners will be featured in the 2022 North County water agencies’ regional calendar.

The winners of the 2021 Student Poster Contest 

First Place: Adeleine Kobriger, Heritage Charter

First Place: Adeleine Kobriger, Heritage Charter

Second Place: Gracie Chillag, Heritage Charter

Second Place: Gracie Chillag, Heritage Charter

Third Place: Camille Gastelum, Grace Christian School

Nine additional students received Honorable Mentions for their work

Honorable Mention: Enzo Chung

Enzo Chung

Honorable Mention: Brooke Gamble

Brooke Gamble

Honorable Mention: Candelaria Juarez

Candelaria Juarez

Honorable Mention: Brendan O'Donnell

Brendan O’Donnell

Honorable Mention: Kathleen O'Neal

Kathleen O’Neal

Honorable Mention: Emma Rhett Water Awareness Artwork

Emma Rhett

Honorable Mention: Geraldiine Ricardo-Valdes

Geraldine Ricardo-Valdes

Honorable Mention: Geraldiine Damaris Saucedo Water Awareness Artwork

Damaris Saucedo

Honorable Mention: Delano Sutic

Delano Sutic

Contest part of comprehensive science education program

The poster contest is a fun activity with a serious goal: teaching children the value of water and the need for water conservation. The City of Escondido supports local public and private schools by providing the Water Science Education Program to elementary and afterschool programs.

The program teaches water science to raise awareness of Earth’s resources through interactive and collaborative activities supplementing each school’s science curriculum. The lessons help meet Next Generation Science Standards. The annual poster contest is part of this annual program.

(Editor’s note: The City of Escondido is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the metropolitan San Diego region.)

Grouping plants together by water needs by matching microcliimates creates efficient irrigation. Photo: Water Authority

Microclimate Matching in Your Landscaping Plan

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Earlier in our Conservation Corner series, we described how to map the different types of microclimates present in your landscaping. Using this information helps homeowners arrange plants in a new sustainable landscape. For the most efficient water use, plants should be grouped together with similar water needs according to their preferred microclimate.

In nature, plants that like lots of water are found along the banks of a stream, or grouped together at the base of a depression. Plants that need fast-draining soils so roots don’t rot might be found on hillsides. Plants that love lots of sunshine won’t grow in the shade of a tree.

Follow The Microclimate Map

Look to the Microclimate Map for smart guidelines on choosing landscape plants. Consider this example yard with three identified microclimates:

  • A front yard in full sun most of the day.
  • A moist depressed area in full sun. This area will retain moisture more than the rest of the yard, so you could use this area for rain catchment. Raise hillside areas surrounding the depression and allow them to drain freely.
  • A shady area under the canopy of a neighbor’s large tree.

Three Different Plant Neighborhoods

Areas of your landscaping under large shade trees become individual microclimates. Photo: Ken Lund/Creative Commons License

Areas of your landscaping under large shade trees become individual microclimates. Photo: Ken Lund/Creative Commons License

When selecting landscaping plants, the yard in this example will require at least three different groupings of plants.

  • Sun-loving plants that prefer their roots dry and in fast-draining soil
  • Sun-loving plants tolerant of wet feet in winter months, which thrive in heavier clay soils
  • Plants tolerant in dry shaded areas

A final consideration before heading to the local nursery or garden center: how will you irrigate your plants?  Check the Plant Factors for each of the plants to make sure their water needs are all similar in each area. A previous Conservation Corner feature has information about Plant Factors.

Plants Speak Latin

Many plants have similar common names in English. Shopping for plants by their common names can lead to confusion between two very different plants. Instead, the best way to shop for plants is to use the Latin name. This reduces any miscommunication and any surprises in your landscaping. 

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

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California-Adel Hagekhalil-GM

Water Authority Congratulates New MWD GM Adel Hagekhalil

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On June 8, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Board of Directors voted to approve Adel Hagekhalil as the next General Manager replacing Jeff Kightlinger, who announced his retirement. Hagekhalil is scheduled to meet with the San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors at its June 24 board meeting. 

Adel Hagekhalil-MWD-General Manager

Adel Hagekhalil is the new general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Photo: Adel Hagekhalil

The San Diego County Water Authority issued the following statement by Board Chair Gary Croucher:

“It is with great pleasure that I congratulate Chairwoman Gloria Gray and the MWD Board of Directors on the selection of Adel Hagekhalil to serve as the district’s next General Manager. Adel is exactly the kind of person and visionary leader Southern California needs, especially as we experience another period of sustained drought, to help guide MWD as it faces important near- and long-term planning decisions impacting its water supply resources and water rates and charges.

“In addition to his demonstrated skills as an agency manager and water policy leader, Adel brings to the MWD table a highly collaborative style of leadership and commitment to meet the unique needs of each of the district’s 26 member agencies. He is also committed to continuing his advocacy to address equity and environmental and social justice issues impacting Southern California’s underserved communities.

“Adel’s selection sends an important signal that Southern California is planning to rely more on sustainable local water supplies in the future, while not abandoning our commitment to the Bay-Delta and Colorado River. These include Water Authority agency projects such as San Diego’s Pure Water Project, the East County Water Purification Project, and Oceanside’s Pure Water Project.

“Importantly, Adel received strong support from employees who have worked for him, as well as from Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, the Los Angeles City Council, and other officials for whom he worked and to whom he reported. He is known by all to be an inclusive leader, a bridge-builder, and an advocate for the environment, social justice, and underserved communities. Numerous San Diego County elected officials, labor, business, and community groups joined in writing letters of support for Adel’s appointment.

“In short, Adel brings exactly the kind of experience and leadership we believe MWD needs at this time, and we look forward to continued collaboration with him.”

Learn to match plant choices to your microclimate map. Photo: Charlie Neuman, Water Authority

How to Choose Plants for Landscape Microclimates

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Every garden has completely different cultivation characteristics, even those located in the same general climate zone. For example, there will be areas where plants will flourish.

Numerous features affect your growing conditions. Structures, walls, fences, and other plants can affect the amount of sun and shade in a garden. There can be hills and hollows in your front yard that may collect cold air. Or, because your property is sloped, you don’t get frost when your neighbors do.

Individual microclimates may differ significantly from the general climate of an area. To be sure you match the right plant choices to your conditions, you need to identify and map these microclimates. Start by walking around your property at different times of day. Observe conditions and take notes.

Choose plants that will thrive

Determine which plants will work in your new garden, and which should be removed or avoided. Outline the canopy area of the plants being retained. Note the name, general size, and health of the plants.

Do any of these plants seem “unthirsty?” Many plants can thrive on less water when they are well established, with deep healthy roots. Old rose bushes and large shade trees are two good examples. These drought-tolerant plants are worth keeping if possible, especially if they are mature.

Note sun and shade patterns

Different areas of your landscaping are affected by shade, moisture, and temperature, creating a variety of microclimates. Photo: Water Authority

Different areas of your landscaping are affected by shade, moisture, and temperature, creating a variety of microclimates. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

Mark the areas that receive sun all day, and areas that are shaded all or part of the day. Also note which areas receive only partial sun, or a few hours of direct morning sun, midday sun, or late afternoon sun.

In choosing landscaping plants, make sure to select those that are appropriate to the sunlight patterns of the garden. Plants marked as “full sun” will not be happy in full shade, and vice versa. Don’t work against their requirements.

Group plants for similar needs

Group plants with similar water requirements together. Make sure plants with different water needs are not combined. Some sun-loving plants have moderate water needs, and some have very low water needs. If these are mixed together, one will always suffer if the watering routine works for the other types. 

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

Attract pollinators to your watersmart landscaping with native plants such as milkweed. Photo: Erin Lindley

Attracting Pollinators to Your Garden

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Flowering plants rely on insects, birds, and other creators for pollination. In turn, plants attracting pollinators feed and house beneficial insects like bees and butterflies, and nectar-loving birds like hummingbirds.

Some bugs eat too much, destroying their plant hosts and spreading disease. Other beneficial insects fight off the destructive species, eating them or disrupting their reproductive process.  Birds, bats, and lizards help too, consuming pests both large and small.

Nature provides checks and balances in a garden. You can attract insects and creatures which will help maintain the health of a garden without pesticides.

Choosing a wide diversity of plants in your landscape can help attract helpful insects and predators on a regular basis. They improve the resilience of the garden and reduce the need to use chemicals for pest control.

To attract more garden helpers, create habitat for them. Consider adding a nesting box for bees. Leave a small rock pile for lizards to inhabit. Put a large tree branch in the garden and let it decompose naturally.

Planting a Butterfly Garden

Planting Narrowleaf Milkweed prohibits habitat and for the endangered Monarch butterfly. Photo: Wikimedia Attracting Pollinators

Planting Narrowleaf Milkweed prohibits habitat and for the endangered Monarch butterfly. Photo: Wikimedia

Numerous plants attract pollinators and support the life cycle of butterflies, including the threatened monarch butterfly.  Plant several in the garden to help the larvae and caterpillars as well as the full-grown, nectar-seeking adults. Some good choices:

  • Narrow Leaf Milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis)
  • Island Alum Root (Heuchera maxima)
  • San Miguel Island Buckwheat (Eriogonum grande var. rubescens)
  • Cedros Island Verbena (Verbena lilacina)
  • Island Bush Snapdragon (Gambelia speciosa)

What’s The Buzz?

Leave open soil around plants for ground-nesting bees and insects. Photo: Pixabay/Creative Commons Attracting Pollinators

Leave open soil around plants for ground-nesting bees and insects. Photo: Pixabay/Creative Commons

Not all ground needs to be covered in mulch. Try designating a five to ten square foot patch of open soil around plants for ground-nesting bees and insects, especially if your garden contains San Diego native plants. Succulents don’t like mulch right up against their stems, for example. Create a landscape where plants and pollinators work together 

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