Last summer, a revolution occurred in Los Angeles landscaping: Across the city, tens of thousands of homeowners tore up their water-thirsty lawns and replaced them with gravel, turf, decomposed granite and a wide range of drought-tolerant plants at a rate never seen before. The water-saving benefits of this massive landscape overhaul are undisputed — and that’s important in a region that […]
Dave Edwards has hiked in the Santa Monica Mountains for decades, but the view has changed in the past few years. Hundreds, if not thousands, of trees have died, leaving hillsides with gray and brown patches. Five years of drought has shortchanged trees on water and nutrients. Trees dried out and insects moved in. “It’s not just in […]
Water conservation in California dipped slightly during the first month that the state’s mandatory water-savings rules were significantly relaxed, regulators said Tuesday. The 21.5% cut in water use in June compared with the same month in 2013 was less impressive than some officials had hoped, but also came as a relief because the numbers suggest that urban Californians will […]
The multi-year drought has become so bad in some parts of California that last year wells dried up and communities had to have their water hauled in by truck. Even with that emergency lifeline, residents of places like East Porterville in Tulare County had to carefully parcel out their supplies for cooking and cleaning. Toilets were […]
Will Replacing Thirsty Lawns With Drought-Tolerant Plants Make L.A. Hotter?
/in San Diego County /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles Timesby Deborah NetburnLast summer, a revolution occurred in Los Angeles landscaping: Across the city, tens of thousands of homeowners tore up their water-thirsty lawns and replaced them with gravel, turf, decomposed granite and a wide range of drought-tolerant plants at a rate never seen before. The water-saving benefits of this massive landscape overhaul are undisputed — and that’s important in a region that […]
Oak Trees in the Santa Monica Mountains Hit Hard by Drought
/in San Diego County /by Mike Lee /Ventura County Starby Cheri CarlsonDave Edwards has hiked in the Santa Monica Mountains for decades, but the view has changed in the past few years. Hundreds, if not thousands, of trees have died, leaving hillsides with gray and brown patches. Five years of drought has shortchanged trees on water and nutrients. Trees dried out and insects moved in. “It’s not just in […]
California Water Conservation Dips as Relaxed Drought Rules Take Effect
/in San Diego County /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles Timesby Matt StevensWater conservation in California dipped slightly during the first month that the state’s mandatory water-savings rules were significantly relaxed, regulators said Tuesday. The 21.5% cut in water use in June compared with the same month in 2013 was less impressive than some officials had hoped, but also came as a relief because the numbers suggest that urban Californians will […]
OPINION: When it Comes to Water, do not Keep on Trucking
/in San Diego County /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles TimesThe multi-year drought has become so bad in some parts of California that last year wells dried up and communities had to have their water hauled in by truck. Even with that emergency lifeline, residents of places like East Porterville in Tulare County had to carefully parcel out their supplies for cooking and cleaning. Toilets were […]