Some big moves are coming from the Southern Nevada Water Authority. The water company wants all “unused turf” (grass) in the Las Vegas valley remove
The agency sent the following tweet expressing the legislation it would like to see proposed on Monday night.
The water industry has a visibility problem. Often the only time that water professionals are contacted is when things have gone wrong.
Calls come in when a pipe bursts. Angry emails from a local homeowners’ association detail how sewers are backing up in basements. Lawsuits are filed when contamination is found in drinking water.
If you followed the news, you would think there are only problems and few successes with water infrastructure in the U.S. But that’s not the case. Part of the visibility problem with water infrastructure is that the industry does such a good job of making things work. In most situations things are not falling apart. Contamination is not an issue. Sewage backups are solved or eliminated, and people spend their game day blissfully unaware of the infrastructure keeping their finished basement dry.
These are successes we tell ourselves within our bubble, but they aren’t told to a wider audience. It is time to change that.
There is beauty and art in the engineering of these systems. Whether it is an array of aerators for a new mixing tank, the reflection of the sunrise in an open-air clarifier, or the organized jumble of purple pipe at a water reclamation facility, water infrastructure is not invisible. It’s right there.
Below is a growing and updated list of examples of water infrastructure throughout the U.S. Tag @WWDmag or @BCrossen on Twitter with your pictures of your infrastructure to be included in this ever-evolving and growing list. Or send an email to with the subject line “This is water infrastructure” with your location, facility name and what you admire about your local infrastructure.
A Water & Wastes Digest story said the water industry has a visibility problem with infrastructure. The magazine article featured this San Diego County Water Authority tweet, among others, on April 2, 2021.
Helix is one of a dozen local water agencies taking part in a countywide WaterSmart Landscape Contest this year.
Previously known as the California-Friendly Landscape Contest, the annual competition, now in its 17th year, rewards water-efficient landscapes created by customers of Helix and other participating agencies around San Diego County.
Landscape designs using the least amount of potable water necessary are greatly encouraged in arid or Mediterranean climates like in San Diego County. It’s an important motivation for homeowners to consider efficiency and sustainability to lower water use, saving a precious resource.
Landscape designs using the least amount of potable water necessary are greatly encouraged in arid or Mediterranean climates like in San Diego County. It’s an important motivation for homeowners to consider efficiency and sustainability to lower water use, saving a precious resource.
Maximizing your landscaping’s ability to capture and use natural rainfall can also help reduce or even completely eliminate your reliance on potable water for irrigation. Compare how much water your new landscape design will need against your existing landscaping’s water use. You’ll be able to estimate your future water savings.
Start by calculating the water use requirements of landscaping filled with plants that require high amounts of water, or moderate amounts, low or very low water requirements.
In these examples, evapotranspiration (ET), irrigation efficiency, and landscape area are exactly the same. The only difference: our examples are home to plants with different water requirements.
To calculate water use, you can refer to the San Diego Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance for guidance. Go to www.sdcounty.gov and search “Landscape Ordinance.” The four key variables are:
Use a landscaped area of 1,000 square feet, with an ET of 51 inches annually, and IE of 0.7. Look at the big difference your plant selection can make in your water use.
Example 1: High Water Use plants (PF = 0.8) – 36,137 gallons of water per year
Example 2: Moderate Water Use plants (PF = 0.5) – 22, 586 gallons of water per year
Example 3: Low Water Use plants (PF = 0.2) – 9.034 gallons of water per year
Example 4: Very Low Water Use plants (PF = 0.1) – 4,517 gallons of water per year
From the highest estimate to the lowest estimate, you could potentially save 17,103 gallons of water every single year.
This article is part of a year-long series inspired by the 71-page Sustainable Landscapes Program guidebook. The Water Authority and its partners also offer other great resources for landscaping upgrades, including free WaterSmart classes at WaterSmartSD.org.
Dry conditions in the Southwest, largely associated with La Niña, have intensified what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is calling the most significant U.S. spring drought since 2013, affecting an estimated 74 million people.
The 2021 drought is quickly becoming an emergency. Kern County’s supply from the State Water Project has been reduced to just 5 percent of a full allocation. Rainfall is about half of average. And with each passing dry day, the drought gets worse.
The Mendocino City Community Services District board declared a Stage 3 drought at its latest meeting, March 29. The district has recorded approximately 20.5 inches of rain for the year to date; this is the second-lowest recorded total in the past 100 years.
A Stage 3 drought includes the following mandates:
California could be facing a dry summer after two dry winters, but there shouldn’t be a huge impact on local supplies.
California water officials have already cut in half the amount of water they expect to deliver from the state water project.
That could be a major cut for central valley farmers and other water users that rely heavily on the Sacramento Delta for their water.
A series of key decisions await Gov. Gavin Newsom as the state heads back into a potential drought.
So this seems like the right moment to review what happened last time: Water was prioritized for big agriculture at the expense of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, endangered species and California communities. The State Water Board, in a review of the drought of 2014-15, found operations “not sustainable.”
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
