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Metropolitan Water District Launches Turf Replacement Program for Sustainable Landscaping

/in , /by /WestsideToday.comby Dolores Quintana

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s Turf Replacement program aims to update homeowners’ landscaping practices by encouraging the removal of existing grass and replacing it with organic, drought-tolerant alternatives. With a focus on water conservation and sustainability, the program seeks to combat the effects of water scarcity and promote responsible water usage among residents.

It is essential to note that synthetic turf is not an approved option for conversion under this program. Instead, the emphasis is on promoting organic and eco-friendly landscaping solutions that align with the city’s environmental goals.

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Vista Irrigation District Landscape Winner Complements Home Design

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

Vista Homeowner Diane Krupnak redesigned her front yard to save water and won the 2023 Vista Irrigation District WaterSmart Landscape Contest.

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

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Diane Krupnak's smart planning and design helped her win the 2023 Vista Irrigation District landscape makeover contest. Photo: Vista Irrigation District

Vista Irrigation District Landscape Winner Complements Home Design

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Vista Homeowner Diane Krupnak redesigned her front yard to save water and won the 2023 Vista Irrigation District WaterSmart Landscape Contest.

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

Workshops provide homeowner know-how

Concerned by the severity of the last drought, Krupnak removed the water-thirsty grass from her front yard to reduce water use. She began her project by enrolling in the free WaterSmart Landscape Makeover series of workshops for homeowners offered by the San Diego County Water Authority and its member agencies.

The workshops gave Krupnak the knowledge to move forward with her makeover, including soil assessment, creating a landscape plot plan, and drip irrigation basics, and mulching.

Colorful plant palette replaces grass

Diane Krupnake wanted a landscape that would complement the Mediterranean aesthetic of her home. Photo: Vista Irrigation District landscape

Diane Krupnake wanted a landscape that would complement the Mediterranean aesthetic of her home. Photo: Vista Irrigation District

Krupnak started by researching the plants she wanted to add to her yard. She focused on the plants’ characteristics and water needs to make sure they would be compatible in her landscape.

She also wanted a landscape to complement the Mediterranean aesthetic of her home. Krupnak selected a base color palate in greens and whites highlighted with pops of color. Once the plan came together, she hired landscape professionals to install the new landscape and hardscape.

The green hues in her landscape design come from shaggy Cousin Itt Acacias, Wheeler’s Dwarf Pittosporum, dwarf daylilies, and Italian Oregano. Each plant provides contrasting textures and structure creating visual interest. A fruitless Olea Swan Hill olive tree stands as the focal point of her yard.

White tones include flowering Scaevola White plants adjacent to Krupnak’s new permeable walkways accentuating the earth tones of the pavers.

The base colors in the winning landscape design are accented with bright reds from plants like Caliente Deep Red Geraniums and Tecoma Stans Bells of Fire Esperanza, as well as yellow foliage from Sunset Gold Coleonema pulchellum.

Beautiful results reduce water use, saving money and time

The landscape makeover replaced grass with new low water use plants and a patio area. Photo: Vista Irrigation District landscape

The landscape makeover replaced grass with new low-water-use plants and a patio area. Photo: Vista Irrigation District

“I chose a landscape of moderate to low water use plants that complement the Mediterranean influence of my home,” said Krupnak. “I save money on my water bills and no longer pay to have my yard mowed.”

The hardscape included in Krupnak’s design plan provides functional living space. The patio replaces a flat lawn area near the home’s entranceway and transforms it into an inviting place to sit and admire the rest of her new landscape.

Free WaterSmart landscape workshops – online or in-person

“Free regional WaterSmart landscape workshops are available online and in person to assist homeowners in upgrading their home’s landscape to reduce water bills,” said Brent Reyes, VID management analyst. “Additionally, turf removal rebates can help with the cost.”

Participating San Diego County Water Authority member agencies include the Vista Irrigation District, Helix Water District, Olivenhain Municipal Water District, Otay Water District, Padre Dam Municipal Water District, San Dieguito Water District, Sweetwater Authority, Vallecitos Water District, Rincon Del Diablo Water District, and the cities of Escondido and Oceanside. Customers of California American Water also can access the workshops.

For more information about the contest and to see more examples of waterwise landscaping, visit www.landscapecontest.com. Visit the district’s website to learn more about free landscape workshops and incentive programs.

Vista Irrigation District is a public agency governed by an elected five-member board. The district provides water service to roughly 134,000 people in the city of Vista and portions of San Marcos, Escondido, Oceanside, and unincorporated areas of San Diego County.

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

He Wanted a ‘Low-Water, Colorful, Smell-Good Garden.’ But First, the Lawn Had to Go

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Lisa Boone

On a closely packed street in Inglewood, where single-family home after single-family home overlooks a manicured lawn, a spectacular garden filled with California native plants reaches to the sky and spills onto the sidewalk.

In Brian Bautista’s yard, upright showy penstemon, aromatic hummingbird sage, hardy toyon trees, and two types of milkweed — dramatic plants requiring little water — attract birds, butterflies and bees and flourish amid the Bermuda grass lawns.

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‘It’s Excessive’: Homeowners Push Back on Water District’s New Fee

/in , /by /Las Vegas Review-Journal by Colton Lochhead

The latest water bill came as a shock to Yvette Williams.

Williams, who has lived in her Spring Valley home for more than two decades, had worked to reduce her water use in recent months. But her June water bill still came in at over $800.

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Seventh grader Sophia Garvida won the Middle School Category in the 2023 Otay Water District Student Poster Contest. Photo: Otay Water District Six student artists

Six Student Artists Win 2023 Otay Poster Contest

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Six students from schools in the Otay Water District are the winners of the annual Student Poster Contest. More than 53 students submitted entries from schools in Chula Vista, El Cajon, and Spring Valley. The poster art depicts the value of water and using water wisely.

Students in all grades were asked to create and submit a poster illustrating the theme “Being water wise is…” The District selected winners for the elementary and middle school categories. No high school entries were submitted.

“We are impressed by the representation of water conservation and stewardship in each participant’s artwork,” said Eileen Salmeron, communications assistant and contest coordinator. “Through this program, we find confidence that the young generations have a great awareness of the importance of taking good care of our most precious resource for the future needs of our region.”

Middle school winners

 First place: Sophia Garvida, seventh grade, Bonita Vista Middle School Six student artists

First place: Sophia Garvida, seventh grade, Bonita Vista Middle School. Photo: Otay Water District 

Second place: Andrian Oraha, sixth grade, Hillsdale Middle School. Photo: Otay Water District Six student artists

Second place: Andrian Oraha, sixth grade, Hillsdale Middle School. Photo: Otay Water District

 

Third place: Alyssa Burkard, sixth grade, Hillsdale Middle School. Photo: Otay Water District Six Student artists

Third place: Alyssa Burkard, sixth grade, Hillsdale Middle School. Photo: Otay Water District

 

Elementary school winners

 

First place: Elias Mendoza, fifth grade, Thurgood Marshall Elementary School. Photo: Otay Water District

First place: Elias Mendoza, fifth grade, Thurgood Marshall Elementary School. Photo: Otay Water District

 

Second place: Katherine Soehn, sixth grade, Thurgood Marshall Elementary School. Photo: Otay Water District

Second place: Katherine Soehn, sixth grade, Thurgood Marshall Elementary School. Photo: Otay Water District

 

Third place: Sofia Cardenas Loera, fifth grade, STEAM Academy

Third place: Sofia Cardenas Loera, fifth grade, STEAM Academy. Photo: Otay Water District

Winners honored by Otay Water District Board of Directors

The six winners will be honored at the Otay Water District monthly Board of Directors meeting on Wednesday, August 2. Each winner will receive a gift card, certificate, art kit, and goody bag.

In addition, the winning posters are entered in the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s annual student poster contest. MWD selects posters from participating water agencies across Southern California to feature in its 2024 regional student art calendar.

Otay Water District students have an impressive record of being selected.

Two students from the Otay Water District had their artwork featured in the 2023 MWD calendar. Khilee Haull is a seventh grader at Hillsdale Middle School and won first place in the middle school contest. Christian-Kealoha Rogacion is in the fifth grade at Thurgood Marshall Elementary School and won second place in the elementary school category. Sisters Lucia Perez Valles and Sofia Perez Valles had their work featured in the 2021 MWD calendar.

To learn more about the District’s contest and other education programs, visit otaywater.gov/education-programs.

(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 San Diego County region.) 

Officials Seeking Public Input For Next 20 Years of Colorado River Water Use

/in , , /by /KTNV Las Vegasby Joe Moeller

The 2007 guidelines for the Lower Basin Water Shortage are set to soon expire. As leaders prepare for mapping out the next 20 years, public input is a top priority.

Bureau of Reclamation officials have already started planning how they will operate the river and reservoirs for the next 20 years and are looking to incorporate public opinion.

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Snowmelt in Calif. Still Raging Mid-July After Record-Breaking Winter

/in , , /by /KCRA Sacramentoby Mike TeSelle

A winter of record snowfall in California, coupled with a triple-digit heat wave, is continuing to inundate Sierra trails and fill valley reservoirs with snowmelt run-off.

In a video posted on social media by a KCRA 3 viewer, ankle-deep water could be seen rushing over the rail to Wapama Falls in Yosemite National Park last week.

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OC Grand Jury Report on Drought Conditions Endorses Doheny Desalination Plant, Calls for New Water Sources

/in , , /by /The Capistrano Dispatch by C. Jayden Smith

South Orange County’s reliance on imported water through unsustainable sources that will be impacted by climate change must adapt, according to the Orange County Grand Jury, which endorsed desalination plants as a solution in a recent report.

Released in early June, the report highlighted the continued existence of drought conditions in the western United States, Orange County water suppliers’ need to find solutions to growing needs and potential shortages, and the importance of conservation and public education.

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Lake Powell Water Levels Threatened by Heat Wave

/in , , /by /Newsweek by Anna Skinner

An extreme heat wave in the Southwest could pose a risk to Lake Powell’s water levels, which have been steadily increasing all summer.

After an extended drought period, Lake Powell, which is in Utah and Arizona, reached drastically low levels last summer, but levels began rising in earnest in April after California experienced a wet winter. The above-average snowfall in the mountains led to an increased snowpack melt that has continued to supplement Lake Powell, as well as Lake Mead in Arizona and Nevada, this summer.

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