Tag Archive for: California drought

Native plant-sustainability-garden-landscapetracting pollinators like hummingbirds and butterflies. Image: Water Authority plant installation

Plant Installation Brings Your New WaterSmart Landscape to Life

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With your new WaterSmart landscaping plans complete, demolition and turf removal done, and your new irrigation system in place, it’s time to get started on the plant installation. For most homeowners, this is the most rewarding part of the process seeing your new landscaping come to life.

Review the following tips to help you through the plant installation and placement process

Step 1: Use a garden hose to outline groundcover areas to help you visualize the design before you start the installation.

Step 2: Set the plants while still in their containers, in their approximate location per your planting design plan. Take a step back and review. View your plant placements from various angles. Make any adjustments to the design now to avoid having to dig up and relocate any plants.

Be aware many drought-tolerant landscapes look sparse for the first few years. As your plants reach their mature size, they will fill in over time. Be sure to allow proper spacing to allow each plant to grow to its full size.

Step 3: Dig plant holes twice the width of the plant root ball and just deep enough to bury the roots. Water the hole before placing the plant. When planted, the top of the root ball should be even with or slightly above soil level.

Colorful, water-wise plants replaced a thirsty, labor intensive front lawn in Deborah Brant's winning 2019 landscape makeover. Photo: Vista Irrigation District

Colorful, water-wise plants replaced a thirsty, labor intensive front lawn in Deborah Brant’s winning 2019 landscape makeover. Photo: Vista Irrigation District

Step 4: Once in the hole, the plant should be packed firmly into place with the original, compost-amended soil from the hole. Extra dirt can create a berm around the plant to hold water.

Step 5: Cover the planting area with a two- to three-inch-deep layer of mulch. Keep mulch a few inches away around the plant stems to prevent rot. Using mulch has many benefits. It can help suppress weeds, enrich the soils, protect plant roots from compaction, provide a finished look to your garden, and mulch conserves water.

Step 6: Monitor your garden to ensure your plants are getting adequate water. Even native plant species and drought-tolerant plants need water to get established. This can take a year. To minimize your watering needs while your plants are getting established, install your landscape in the fall months before the months of most significant rainfall in San Diego, generally December through March.

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WaterSmart Living-Logo-San Diego County Water Authority

(Editor’s Note: The San Diego County Water Authority and its 24 member agencies offer programs, resources, and incentives to improve water-use efficiency for residential, commercial, and agricultural users. WaterSmart choices are a way of life in the region. Stay WaterSmart San Diego! For more water-use efficiency resources, go to WaterSmart.SD.org.)

Amid Water Restrictions, L.A. Residents Can Get Free Recycled Water for Lawns

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Summer Lin

Angelenos can stock up again on gallons of recycled water to irrigate their trees, plants and lawns — and free of charge through a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power program.

Mayor Eric Garcetti announced the reopening of two recycled water fill stations Thursday at the Los Angeles-Glendale Water Reclamation Plant and the L.A. Zoo parking lot.

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Water Woes Are Biggest Worry for Californians as Drought Drags On

/in , , /by /The Mercury Newsby Marisa Kendall

As the drought punishing California drags on, water is a top — and growing — worry for residents of our parched state, outpacing wildfires and climate change, according to a new poll about environmental issues.

With reservoirs and snowpack shrinking, Californians listed the state’s water supply as their number one environmental worry, with 68% of adults saying it’s a big problem — up from 63% a year ago.

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WATER 101: A Recap of Where We Are Amidst a Historic Drought

/in , , /by /Holtville Tribuneby Luis Gomez Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Local farmers may soon be forced to bite the bullet and find ways to use significantly less water in 2023 — potentially for a lot longer.

This drastic measure may come as a result of an emergency water conservation effort to prevent further depletion of the Valley’s main source of water, the Colorado River. If less water flows down the Colorado River, the consequences could be catastrophic for the two reservoirs — lakes Mead and Powell — that feed into the so-called basin states.

For example, if water levels in Lake Mead continue dropping, it could bring water and hydropower to a grinding halt, all due to a relentless drought over two decades.

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These Before and After Images Show the Devastating Effects of California’s Drought — From Space

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Yoohyun Jung

Sometimes, it takes zooming out to a bird’s eye view to fully understand the devastating impacts of drought in California.

Images captured from space by government and private satellites offer a sobering look at how the current drought — in year three — is affecting the state’s land and natural resources.

The latest data from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows about 97% of California in moderate or worse drought, with much of the Central Valley and southern portions of the state in the worst conditions.

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Chula Vista Homeowners Win Otay Water District’s 2022 WaterSmart Landscape Contest

/in , , /by /Water News Network Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Chula Vista homeowners Bryan and Denee Felber earned “Best in District” honors as the winner of the Otay Water District’s 2022 WaterSmart Landscape Contest. Converting 2,143 square feet of turf to a drought-tolerant garden in 2015 continues to save water and pay off for the Felbers while beautifying their neighborhood.

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Bryan and Denee Felber's conversion from turf to low-water use landscaping earned the Chula Vista homeowners the 2022 Otay Water District WaterSmart Landscape Makeover Contest win. Photo: Otay Water District

Chula Vista Homeowners Win Otay Water District’s 2022 WaterSmart Landscape Contest

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Chula Vista homeowners Bryan and Denee Felber earned “Best in District” honors as the winner of the Otay Water District’s 2022 WaterSmart Landscape Contest. Converting 2,143 square feet of turf to a drought-tolerant garden in 2015 continues to save water and pay off for the Felbers while beautifying their neighborhood.

The Felbers live in the District’s division 4, represented by Board Director and Treasurer Jose Lopez.

A dry riverbed helps redirect water runoff away from sidewalks and storm drains. Photo: Otay Water District

A dry riverbed helps redirect water runoff away from sidewalks and storm drains. Photo: Otay Water District

“Otay is proud to see that our contest winners have taken the necessary steps to limit their outdoor water use and make their home drought resilient,” said Jose Lopez. “Now that our region is facing dry conditions, we encourage customers to do the same by taking full advantage of the programs and rebates available, which will make a significant difference in preserving our local water supply.”

Making a WaterSmart change

Bryan and Denee Felber's property before the landscaping redesign. Photo: Otay Water District

Bryan and Denee Felber’s property before the landscaping redesign. Photo: Otay Water District

Maintenance demands and high costs to keep their lawn vibrant and green motivated the Felbers to make a change, beginning in 2015. They started by participating in the San Diego County Water Authority’s WaterSmart Landscape Makeover Program, which teaches residents how to create and maintain a beautiful yard suiting their needs while also saving water. The  Felbers used what they learned during the planning stages of their project.

Bryan and Denee Felber's property after the landscaping redesign. Photo: Otay Water District

Bryan and Denee Felber’s home after the landscaping redesign. Photo: Otay Water District

The landscape makeover qualified for turf rebates through the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the Water Authority. They received a rebate to replace 5,007 square feet of their front and back yards and later replaced 202 square feet of turf in a side yard.

A new drip irrigation system replaced spray nozzles. Plants are watered on an automated schedule three days a week. When rain is expected, the system is turned off or delayed for a few days. A dry riverbed running across the landscape captures and directs rainfall, minimizing water runoff.

New landscape design pays off

The Feibers used beautiful low-water use plants to replace more than 2,000 square feet of turf. Photo: Otay Water District

The Felbers used beautiful low-water-use plants to replace more than 2,000 square feet of turf. Photo: Otay Water District

The completed landscape allowed the Felbers to reduce their overall water use by approximately 33% compared to the years before upgrading.

When asked if they recommend others to consider upgrading their yards, Bryan Felber responded, “Absolutely!”

“It’s easier and requires much less time to maintain, and it saves money,” said Bryan. “Designed well, it can be beautiful with far less water, reducing water demand and preserving its supply.”

The Otay Water District board of directors will recognize the couple at its August meeting with a certificate of recognition, a gift certificate to a local nursery of their choice, a yard sign, and other promotional items.

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

Installing WaterSmart Living Irrigation

/in , , /by /Water News Network

Successfully installing WaterSmart Living irrigation starts long before you get out your tools. You need to complete an assessment of your landscape plan’s specific water needs, draw a complete plan showing the layout, then select your irrigation and purchase your irrigation equipment. If your soil needs amendments (and it almost certainly does), you must get this done first. With all of this important prep work complete, you can start to implement the design.

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Southern California Forests Are Shrinking From Wildfire and Drought, Study Finds

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Joshua Emerson Smith

Forest canopies from the mountains of San Diego to San Bernardino and up to Santa Barbara have sharply declined over the last four decades as a result of climate change-fueled wildfire and drought.

That’s according to a new study from the University of California Irvine that documented a loss of tree cover across the entire state — led by Southern California, where forests have shrunk by 14 percent since 1985.

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Mono Lake Was Supposed to Have Been Saved From Going Dry. Now, the ‘White Stuff’ Forces a Reckoning

/in , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Kurtis Alexander

The few who live along the shores of Mono Lake are accustomed to the peculiarities of this high desert basin.

Famously strange limestone spires known as tufa towers rise from the water. The lake contains so much salt that it’s barren of fish. In the arid sands beyond, sagebrush thrives, and that’s about it.

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