As California trudges into another autumn marred by toxic wildfire smoke and drought-parched reservoirs, state lawmakers have cast climate change as a growing public health threat for the state’s 40 million residents. But they were willing to push the argument only so far.
Colorado saw its worst fire season last year, with the three largest fires in state history and more than 600,000 acres burned. But some of the effects didn’t appear until this July, when heavy rain pushed sediment from damaged forests down mountainsides, causing mudslides that shut down sections of Interstate 70 for almost two weeks.
As drought continues to affect California, homeowners must balance two needs: preserving landscaping with irrigation while doing so as efficiently as possible to conserve water.
Even when not in a drought, trees planted in a Mediterranean climate often need additional water. For the most effective irrigation, mimic the way Mother Nature provides water.
Nature designed trees so rain would fall on the leaves and run off to the sides of the tree – much like rain hits an umbrella and rolls down off the side. It falls in a circle around the perimeter.
When irrigating trees, this same approach provides the most moisture to roots and maximizes water use. This outer edge around a tree where rain falls is called the drop line. This is where the tree sends out its most vigorous feeder roots to soak up available moisture. Using a hose to water at the trunk of trees doesn’t reach many of the roots.
Focus on longer, slower delivery of water than mimics a long, light rainfall. Photo: Ulrike Leone
When it does rain, Mother Nature’s rainfall is primarily steady, slow, and spread out. Borrow this method to deliver a long, slow soaking. Trees prefer infrequent deep watering. Once a week or less for more established trees is sufficient.
Water in a slow drip away from the trunk, long enough to soak the top 12 inches of soil in the drip line. Use a hose on a very slow trickle, a soaker hose, drip irrigation in the proper areas, or this clever method.
Use a five-gallon bucket with small holes to slowly release water to a tree’s deepest roots. Photo: Sacramento Tree Foundation
Use a five-gallon bucket and poke several holes in the bottom. Put the bucket on top of the soil along the drip line. Fill the bucket with water. The water will seep out slowly and deeply into the soil. When it’s empty, move the bucket about three feet away, and repeat the process. Do this until you have made a circle in the drip line around the tree.
You can fill the bucket with water gathered in your daily shower. In a household with several people, you may be able to fill a five-gallon bucket daily. Water early in the morning or after sunset, so you lose less water to evaporation. This is when trees gather moisture naturally.
If you have hard, rocky ground, drill holes one foot deep every three feet around the tree along the drip line. Fill the holes with compost, and then pour water into them. This vertical mulch will encourage the roots to grow.
Finally, bear in mind turf competes with your trees for water. Even if you want to retain some lawn, it’s smart to remove the lawn immediately around your trees and replace it with WaterSmart landscaping.
The City of Oceanside received an Award of Excellence during the WateReuse conference in September 2021. Oceanside received the Recycled Water Outreach/Education Program Award for Pure Water Oceanside, which pays tribute to an agency that demonstrates a significant and wide-reaching community outreach and/or public education program that informs the community about the presence and benefits of water reuse.
Global scientists reported in August that due to the climate crisis, droughts that may have occurred only once every decade or so now happen 70% more frequently. The increase is particularly apparent in the Western US, which is currently in the the throes of a historic, multiyear drought that has exacerbated wildfire behavior, drained reservoirs and triggered water shortages.
More than 94% of the West is in drought this week — a proportion that has hovered at or above 90% since June — with six states entirely in drought conditions, according to the US Drought Monitor. On the Colorado River, Lake Mead and Lake Powell — two of the country’s largest reservoirs — are draining at alarming rates, threatening the West’s water supply and hydropower generation in coming years.
In July, Gov. Gavin Newsom called on Californians to voluntarily reduce their water use by 15 percent “through simple actions such as reducing landscape irrigation, running dishwashers and washing machines only when full, finding and fixing leaks, installing water-efficient showerheads and taking shorter showers.”
Turns out those suggestions weren’t enough, especially in San Diego.
California is running out of water. That’s the harsh assessment by experts who say 90% of the state is dealing with drought conditions with the threat of mandatory statewide water restrictions looming.
The most glaring indications of the drought in the Bay Area are the local reservoirs. The reservoirs during the last drought were relatively full and offered a temporary buffer to a major water shortage. That is not the case this time around.
Reservoirs continue to dry up in Marin County and everyone agrees that conservation efforts are ‘not’ where they need to be. Now, the Marin Municipal Water District is looking at some expensive options to tackle the severe drought. “We’re facing historic drought conditions,” Emma Detwiler said.
As the drought intensifies, local water utility California Water Service is helping customers save water every day through expanded water conservation programs and educational resources.
These programs and resources include newly launched lawn-to-garden and spray-to-drip rebates, which offer incentives for Cal Water customers to make their landscaping and irrigation systems as efficient as possible.
The U.S. government released projections Wednesday that indicate an even more troubling outlook for a river that serves 40 million people in the American West.
The Bureau of Reclamation recently declared the first-ever shortage on the Colorado River, which means Arizona, Nevada and Mexico will get less water than normal next year. By 2025, there’s a 66% chance Lake Mead, a barometer for how much river water some states get, will reach a level where California would be in its second phase of cuts. The nation’s most populated state has the most senior rights to river water.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
