|
by William
Granger
Water
Conservation Manager
In June, the Otay Water District’s Board of Directors
revised its Drought Response Conservation Program and the district declared a
Level 1 voluntary “Drought Watch.” Under a Level 1 Drought Watch, all customers
are strongly urged to voluntarily reduce water consumption by 10%.
Historic dry conditions in California and in the Colorado River watershed make it essential for residents and businesses to increase their conservation efforts this year. The State of California recently announced that they would only be able to deliver 15% of the water from the State Water Project, which normally accounts for 40% of the District’s imported water supply.
There are a number of things you can do this fall and winter, that
while quick and straightforward, will help reduce daily water usage by at least
20 gallons per person.
The following are
a few tips and programs to reduce your water usage and maintain a beautiful landscape.
Click here
to take the 20 Gallon Challenge
Check your sprinkler system
for leaks, breaks, and obstructions
The biggest water user at your home is your landscape, as
the average household applies approximately 60% of their water on their landscape.
If you have an automatic sprinkler system, leaks and breaks can go undetected
for months.
Inefficiencies such as obstructed
or misaligned sprinkler heads may not be obvious until you see your sprinklers
running.
Take a few minutes to turn on your sprinklers and walk
around to see if they are aligned correctly. Look for overspray onto your
sidewalks, driveway, patio, and adjacent plant material. Ideally, water from
one lawn sprinkler should reach the adjacent sprinklers, often referred to as
head-to-head coverage.
If you have a
drip system, make sure that the emitters are still connected, not clogged, and
periodically flush the filter.
Regularly Adjust your
Watering Schedule
Adjust your irrigation schedule monthly at a minimum. Even if we do have warm days and Santa Anas this fall and winter, the days are shorter and our plants need less water. Typically, plants need a third less water in the fall as compared to the summer. By late November, even if it has not rained, your landscape will need 60% less water than it did during the heat of the summer.
Develop your own watering schedule by using the sprinkler calculator, or sprinkler index. Also consider installing a weather “smart” irrigation controller and let it make the necessary adjustments for you. For more information on our $350 rebate for weather “smart” irrigation controllers, or the $4.00 rebate per
rotating sprinkler nozzle program, call Richard Namba at (619) 670-2730 or click here. You can also request a rebate application by calling 1-888-376-3314.
Fall is a great time for planting:
Generally, plants from places such as Australia, Chile, South Africa, and the Mediterranean are both water-wise
and very attractive. Also, there are many beautiful Southern California native plants that require very little water once established.
Water-wise plants often have other beneficial values such as
attracting hummingbirds and butterflies, and are available at many local
nurseries.
You may not even realize you already have drought tolerant
plants in your yard and you might be over watering them as a result.
Click here to download our California Friendly Plant list.
Visit the
Water
Conservation
Garden and see mature examples
of water-wise plants
The Water
Conservation Garden
located on the campus of Cuyamaca College is dedicated to saving water in our
landscaping.
The Garden has more than
400 varieties of water-wise plants on 4.5 beautifully landscaped acres. It is located at 12122
Cuyamaca College Drive West, in El Cajon,
adjacent to Cuyamaca College, and is open daily 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Take a Class in Water Wise
Landscaping
Classes cover topics such as turfgrass replacement, landscape
design, water-wise plant choices, and efficient irrigation systems. Visit www.thegarden.org for more details or call
the Garden at 619-660-0614.
Replace your older clothes
washer with a high efficiency model
You will save 20 or more gallons per load (9,000 gallons per
year for the average family), and use 55% less energy. A $185 rebate is available for purchasing
qualified high efficiency washer by calling 1-888-376-3314.
Check your Toilets for
Leaks and Repair them Immediately.
Many toilet leaks are silent and often go unnoticed. Because of a warped toilet flapper or a high
water level within the tank, water may be draining or overflowing into the bowl. As a result, your toilet could be losing 30-50
gallons per day.
To spot these types of
leaks, put a drop food coloring to the toilet tank. Wait 15 minutes to see if the food coloring
has migrated to the toilet bowl.
For
more information on how to repair leaks, request a
Practical Plumbing Handbook, or dye tablets, call us at
619-670-2291.
Through December 31, 2008, a $200 rebate is available per toilet ($30 rebate for newer
toilets), for replacing older, pre-1994 toilets with high efficiency toilets
such as dual-flush toilets that use an average of 1.28 gallons per flush. For
more information, call 1-888-376-3314 or visit www.20gallonchallenge.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
