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Why 96 Million Plastic ‘Shade Balls’ Dumped Into The LA Reservoir May Not Save Water

/in , /by /PBS News Hour (Arlington, Va.)by Amanda Grennell

In 2015, the world watched as a video of 96 million “shade balls” getting dumped into the Los Angeles Reservoir went viral. The purpose of the balls: to improve water quality and save water. But a new study raises an interesting question: Could saving water in the Los Angeles Reservoir come at the cost of consuming water in other parts of world? At the time, Californians faced a record-setting drought, and conserving water was on everyone’s minds. Mandatory water restrictions led to brown lawns and shorter showers.

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OPINION: Water The West: Changes To Our Water Usage

/in , /by /Ramona Home Journalby Beth Prinz Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Gov. Brown declared the five-year drought ended in 2017. However, water conservation never stopped being important. Hotter weather for longer periods and less precipitation have created conditions calling for unprecedented lifestyle changes. Water levels are dropping above-ground and underground, and rain and snow pack are diminishing in frequency and depth. As temperatures increase, the elevations of snow pack increase. Mountains get smaller at the pinnacle, so there is less surface area for snow pack. Higher temperatures mean less snow and, theoretically, more rain, but has received little of either in recent years.

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New State Water Conservation Laws Set For 2019

/in , /by /The Coast News Group (Encinitas)by Steve Puterski Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

In less than six months, California will begin to enact new statewide water conservation laws. Senate Bill 606 and Assembly Bill 1668 call for new urban-efficiency standards for indoor and outdoor uses, water lost to leaks and appropriate variances. The bills will take effect in 2019, although there will a grace period before enforcement, according to Mario Remillard, water conservation specialist for the Carlsbad Municipal Water District. Additionally, water agencies are required to stay within their water budgets regardless of current drought conditions. However, the California State Water Board will not enforce these standards until November 2023.

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Love Your Lawn-Conservation Corner-Love your lawn organically

The Right Way to Remove Your Lawn

/in , /by

If you have made the decision to replace your thirsty, water-guzzling grass, you need to plan your grass removal process carefully to ensure you leave healthy living soil ready for new landscaping in its place.  

Here’s how to do it: 

First, keep your grass moist until you remove it. Don’t withhold irrigation and let it turn brown as it dies off. Healthy microbes in your soil will die off along with the lawn. You want to work with those microbes to help create healthy soil for your new plants. It’s also a lot easier to remove fresh, moist grass than to try and pry out dead dry grass and weeds in hard dry soil.  

Keep your soil microbes healthy to support your new landscaping

Along the same lines, don’t “solarize” your landscaping in the effort to remove your lawn. Solarizing is sometimes used as a way to remove grass with chemicals. It uses a covering such as a heavy black plastic tarp to broil the lawn at high temperatures using sunlight and kill it. But that process kills everything, including healthy microbes you need for healthy soil. Yes, you can replace them with compost, but you will need to invest in a lot of compost to restore the good microbes after you’ve removed the grass by solarizing. 

 Solarizing also backfires because sterilized soil is ideal for weeks. The moment you remove the plastic, opportunistic weeds will move in fast to try and take over the ground. It isn’t because you failed to kill the weed seeds in the soil. New weeds can arrive in a flash, and there is nothing to prevent them taking over.  

Avoid compacting or tilling your soil when removing old turf

Avoid compacting your soil. If you use heavy equipment to remove your old turf, the weight of the equipment will compact the soil underneath. Try to minimize the use of heavy equipment and use walk-behind equipment with hand tools where possible, reserving the use of a tractor or scraper only where necessary.  

Avoid tilling your soil. Tilling soil breaks up and kills your soil microbes. Without the microbes, you’re guaranteed to have those weeds pop up for a long time until new soil microbes develop.  

When removing your grass, protect your trees. If you want to preserve your healthy trees while removing your lawn, you need to be careful with their roots. Don’t use any heavy equipment to remove turf around your trees. Avoid the entire area under the canopy of the tree’s branches. Tree root structures extend all the way out to the drip line at the edge of the leaves. Keep your trees well-watered during the removal process to help minimize root shock.  

Guard against shock to trees from reduced irrigation

When your new sustainable landscaping is installed, your previously existing trees may go into shock when irrigation is reduced overall in your garden. After all, this is one of the reasons for removing your lawn. Pay special attention to keeping the trees watered during the first year after your grass is removed, even if you remove the surrounding original irrigation.  

A good way to hand-water trees is to punch holes in a five-gallon plastic bucket. Fill the bucket, set it down at the edge of the tree canopy, and let the water slowly seep into the ground. Repeat the process three to four times to water your beautiful mature trees. This mimics the natural rainfall Mother Nature provides.  

READ MORE: Gardening Like A Wise Old OWL

This article was inspired by the 71-page Sustainable Landscapes Program guidebook available at SustainableLandscapesSD.org. Hardcopies are available free of charge at the Water Authority’s headquarters, 4677 Overland Ave., Kearny Mesa. The Water Authority and its partners also offer other great resources for landscaping upgrades, including free WaterSmart classes at WaterSmartSD.org.   

 

Americans Are Conserving Water Like Never Before, According To The Latest Federal Data

/in , /by /The Washington Postby Christopher Ingraham

Americans are conserving water in their homes like never before, according to a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) report released this month. In per capita terms, domestic water use has plummeted from 112 gallons per day in 1980 to just 82 gallons in 2015, a 27 percent decrease. Take 30 gallon-sized milk jugs, fill them up with water and set them aside — that’s how much water you’re saving, every day, relative to the average American in 1980. For a typical family of four that means about a half-ton of water saved, or eight cubic feet, every single day relative to 1980.

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As Rainy Season Comes To A Close, Officials Call For Conservation

/in , /by /The Hub (Los Angeles)by Hugo Guzman

It was only a few years ago that climatologists like Jet Propulsion Lab’s Bill Patzert were warning Angelenos that rainy days could soon be a distant memory. The period between late 2011 and 2014 was the driest in California history since record-keeping began, according to the Western Regional Climate Cente.

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The winning WaterSmart landscaping project created by Bill and Rachel Williams. Photo: Vista Irrigation District

Vista Irrigation District Announces WaterSmart Landscape Contest Winner

/in , /by /Vista Irrigation Districtby Vista Irrigation District

Vista, Calif. – The Vista Irrigation District board of directors recognized one of its customers for their entry in the district’s WaterSmart Landscape Contest.

The contest recognizes outstanding water-wise residential landscapes based on the criteria of overall attractiveness, appropriate plant selection, design, appropriate maintenance, and efficient methods of irrigation.

Bill and Rachel Williams received the “Best in District” award. During the height of the drought, the
Williamses decided to replaced their water-intensive front and back lawn with a water-efficient landscape. After
hiring professionals to remove over 2,500 square feet of grass and install drip irrigation, the Williamses designed
the layout and chose the water-wise plants themselves. By adding fun elements, such a horseshoe pit and outdoor
seating area surrounding a fire pit, the Williamses transformed unused space into a backyard with utility.

The Williams’ backyard prior to their WaterSmart landscaping project. Photo: Vista Irrigation District

The result was an eye-catching design incorporating decomposed granite, cactus and splashes of vibrant color from the aloe
and agave families, including Coral Aloe as well as Foxtail and Century Agaves; plant selection also included
Aeonium, Rosemary, Senecio and Firestick.

WaterSmart project creates new backyard haven for homeowners

The Williamses “couldn’t be happier with the results”, and their WaterSmart project turned their water
thirsty lawn into a low maintenance, low cost and water efficient haven where they can relax and enjoy a game of
horseshoes.

Another view of the new WaterSmart landscaping installed by the Williams family of Vista. Photo: Vista Irrigation District

With a majority of residential water use in San Diego County attributed to watering landscapes, regional
water efficiency efforts focus on outdoor water use. By showcasing their beautiful landscape in the WaterSmart
Landscape Contest, these district customers provide other homeowners with ideas and incentives to reduce their
own outdoor water use by installing attractive and efficient water-wise landscaping.

“Replacing your lawn with a WaterSmart landscape is a beautiful way to save water and money at the same
time,” said Brent Reyes, water conservation specialist for the district.

Vista Irrigation District part of effort to showcase residential water-wise landscapes

The district joined eleven other local agencies that held landscape contests this year, providing an
opportunity to showcase residential water-wise landscapes throughout the region. Participating agencies (besides
Vista Irrigation District) include Helix Water District, Olivenhain Municipal Water District, Otay Water District,
Padre Dam Municipal Water District, San Dieguito Water District, Sweetwater Authority, Vallecitos Water District,
California American Water, and the cities of Escondido, Oceanside and San Diego.

For more information about the contest and to see more examples of WaterSmart landscaping, visit
www.landscapecontest.com. Visit the district’s web site (www.vidwater.org) or call (760) 597-3107 to find out
more ways to save water.

The Vista Irrigation District is a public agency governed by an elected five-member board. The district
provides water service to more than 133,000 people in the city of Vista, and portions of San Marcos, Escondido,
Oceanside, and unincorporated areas of San Diego County.

Helix Water District Names Winner of 2018 WaterSmart Landscape Contest

/in , /by by Helix Water District

Helix Water District has named Carey Hultgren and Paul Geldbach of La Mesa as the winner of its 2018 WaterSmart Landscape Contest, an annual competition that recognizes outstanding water-wise residential landscapes based on design and overall attractiveness, appropriate plant selection and maintenance, and irrigation methods.

This 1930s Spanish-style home on Dutton Lane sits on a 0.67-acre lot and now uses 40 percent less water than it consumed a few short years ago. Over the two-month billing period ending this April, this home used just 14 units of water. One unit is 748 gallons.

Hultgren and Geldbach purchased the property in 2012 and, at the time, the only landscaping was dead sod, dying trees and a swimming pool. Rather than trying to rehabilitate the thirsty lawn, Hultgren and Geldbach slowly transitioned their property into a colorful, complimentary, and climate-appropriate landscape.

Incredibly, the two completed the design, installation and maintenance of their Spanish oasis on their own. “Yes, it has taken us a long time! But I believe the extra time spent has been worth the money we’ve saved and the pride of ownership we gained in the process.

Free WaterSmart Landscape Makeover Program Jump Starts Winning Project

The new award-winning front yard landscaping. Photo: Courtesy Helix Water District

Hultgren attended the San Diego County Water Authority’s free WaterSmart Landscape Makeover Program in 2015 and within a few months they were ready to break ground. Since then, this do-it-yourself duo has completed a great amount of work.

“We’ve installed 26 water-wise trees and countless drought tolerant plants. We continue to refine and add to the landscape every spare moment we have,” said Hultgren.

The work first involved clearing the land with multiple truckloads of dead plant material and then rebuilding the sun-scorched soil. They hauled in over 40 yards of compost and mulch to provide the new plants with nutrients and help the soil retain moisture.

Next on the list was irrigation for the new plants. Fortunately, the old lawn had an irrigation system. The couple retrofitted the system with efficient rotating nozzles and avoided the expense and labor of installing a completely new system.

Lastly, the couple carefully selected, arranged and installed the colorful, low-water-use plants. Now that the plants are established, Hultgren and Geldbach can turn the irrigation system off from late fall to spring with nothing but the occasional hand-watering in between.

“In fact, we deeply watered the Palo Verdes along the driveway the first year to get their root systems established and we haven’t watered them or the 20 octopus agaves…for about one and a half years! This spring, the trees have thanked us with a spectacular flower show.”

Efforts Pay Off  With Lowered Water Bill, More Colorful Landscape

The pool deck after the renovation.

Hultgren and Geldbach wrote in their contest application that, “It’s gratifying to see that our efforts to conserve water with careful plant selections, irrigation retrofitting and mulch maintenance has been paying off with a lower water bill than some of our neighbors, plus a more colorful landscape.”

As this year’s winners, Hultgren and Geldbach will receive the following prizes – a $250 gift card, a certificate, as well as a WaterSmart Landscape Contest winner’s sign to display in their yard.

Photos of Hultgren’s and Geldbach’s yard will appear in the winners section at landscapecontest.com, along with Helix Water District’s past winners and the winners from other local water agencies. Helix will also feature the couple and their landscape at hwd.com, the district’s own website.

2019 WaterSmart Landscape Contest Submission Information Now Available Online

The 2019 WaterSmart Landscape Contest will begin around January next year and the deadline for submissions will be in late April. Look for information about the 2019 contest at hwd.com, Facebook.com/HelixWater and Twitter at @HelixWater.

Helix Water District is responsible for providing a safe and reliable water supply for more than 275,000 people living in La Mesa, El Cajon, Lemon Grove and parts of Spring Valley, Lakeside and unincorporated San Diego County.

Farrell Wants Agencies To Use Less Water

/in , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Kurtis Alexander

San Francisco is hoping to better prepare for the next drought. Though the city’s government agencies were good at cutting water use during the recent dry years, easily meeting a self-imposed goal of reducing consumption 10 percent between 2014 and 2017 and often conserving more, Mayor Mark Farrell wants to pick it up a notch. Farrell is asking the Board of Supervisors to approve an ordinance that would require the five city departments that use the most water to develop plans for trimming water use 20 percent.

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Examining Water Conservation, Availability And Security In South Orange County

/in , /by /Dana Point Timesby Daniel Ritz and Emily Rasmussen

Recently, unprecedented water shortages in the African metropolis of Cape Town, South Africa, have brought water security to international consciousness. According to a recent report by the United States Drought Monitoring agency at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln on May 17, the entirety of Orange County is still considered to be within what they call a “severe drought scenario.” According to that study, some areas of the Southwestern region’s precipitation (rainfall and snowpack are measured by the state of California by “water year,” which runs from Oct.1 to Sept. 30) was in the second percentile or lower.

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