Sebastopol's
Water Conservation Page
Santa Rosa's
Water Conservation Page
Cotati's
Water Conservation Page
January
February
Landscape Water Use Table
The following table may be used to estimate water needs for
landscapes in the Santa Rosa area during an average growing season. This
information refers to landscaped
areas only. Do
not calculate based on the entire lot size.
High water-use plants: Turf,
vegetables, annuals, some ornamentals such as ferns and willows, and all
container plants.
Moderate water-use plants: Most
popular ornamental trees, shrubs, and groundcovers and most fruit bearing trees.
Low water-use plants: "Mediterranean
Region" and native trees, shrubs and groundcovers (such as rosemary),
juniper, and most native oaks.
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For a complete list of plant species and their water use
requirements, please visit the Water Use Classification of Landscape
Species website (Santa Rosa is in region 1). SANTA
ROSA LANDSCAPE WATER USE - GALLONS PER MONTH
The figures below represent a "best possible"
case scenario. Additional use of 20% - 50% could still be considered
efficient. |
|
1 square foot |
APR |
MAY |
JUN |
JUL |
AUG |
SEP |
OCT |
|
High water-use plants |
2.41 |
3.03 |
3.54 |
4.09 |
3.65 |
2.42 |
1.12 |
|
Moderate water-use plants |
1.45 |
1.82 |
2.12 |
2.45 |
2.19 |
1.45 |
0.67 |
|
Low water-use plants |
0.72 |
0.91 |
1.06 |
1.23 |
1.10 |
0.72 |
0.34 |
March
Landscape Tips &
Tune - ups
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Help us preserve our water
resources by conserving water in your landscape. Here are some
landscape water management tips for the home gardener.
- Flush your irrigation system at the start of
the irrigation season to remove debris that has accumulated in the
system
- Aerate your lawn in the Spring to increase
water infiltration and provide beneficial oxygen to plant roots.
- Adjust or repair any broken or misdirected
sprinkler heads for maximum water application efficiency.
- Check for missing drip emitters and holes in
your drip tubing.
- Monitor and adjust your irrigation controller
run times weekly. To create efficient irrigation schedules call
Turf Time every Thursday at (707) 543-3466. (Belmont Terrace
water needs are very similar to Santa Rosa's.)
- Irrigate in the pre-dawn hours and use repeat
start times to allow the water to soak into the soil.
- Install a rain shut-off device on your
irrigation controller to avoid watering during or shortly after
rainfall.
- Use higher setting when mowing lawns. A 2-3
inch tall lawn looks fuller, shades out sun loving weeds and reduces
soil evaporation.
- Use a Layer of organic mulch around plants to
reduce evaporation and prevent weeds.
-
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April
Smart Irrigation
Practices
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Use these practical tips to reduce
water use and improve the health and beauty of your plants.
Encourage
Deeper Roots: Extend the time between watering days to
encourage your plants to grow deeper roots. Plants with deeper roots
can go longer between water days and tolerate stress.
Apply
Water only when it's Needed: Don't assume your yard needs
water. Check the soil before watering. Water when soil is dry
down to 2-3", or step on the grass if it springs back up, it doesn't
need water. Water early (between 2 - 6 a.m. is perfect) to reduce
water lost to heat and wind.
apply
water where it's needed: Check the irrigation system
monthly to be sure water is being applied only where it's intended.
Adjust sprinkler heads and drip emitters so they apply water to planted
areas only, not bare soil or sidewalks.
Apply
Water evenly: Adjust your sprinklers for
"head-to-head" coverage so water from each sprinkler head just
reaches the adjacent sprinkler head. You might need to first cut
back grass and plants from sprinklers so the spray patterns are not
blocked. Achieving head-to-head coverage will reduce dry spots and
overly wet spots.
Reduce
runoff: Water for short periods rather than one long
period, a practice called "repeat cycling". For example,
apply 15 minutes of irrigation in three 5-minute periods separated by at least
one hour each. This will reduce water lost to runoff and will
increase the depth that water penetrates the soil.
SPRINKLER TEST
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May
May is Water Awareness
Month
|
Annual Leak Detection should be performed.
Put food coloring in toilet tanks. IF after
5 minutes the coloring is in the toilet bowl you have a slow water leak
that needs to be repaired.
Send email Debby
or Bruce or call, Debby (707)
823-6633 or Bruce (707) 823-6394, for more information regarding saving
water.
Water
Wise Irrigation Tips
Lawn
Watering Guide
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June
Water Matters
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Here are ten top tips for conserving
water.
-
Reduce irrigation by
20%. Call Turf-Time
at (707) 543-3466 for weekly lawn watering guidelines.
- Find
and repair leaks NOW!
- Inspect
and tune-up irrigation systems monthly.
- Irrigate between midnight and 6:00 a.m. to
reduce water loss from evaporation and wind.
- Use a broom, not a hose, to clean drive way,
deck, or patio.
- Use a bucket and a hose with an automatic shut-off
nozzle when you wash the car, or take your car o a carwash that
recycles its water.
- Cover
pools and hot-tubs to reduce evaporation.
- Use front-load washing machines.
- Run the dishwasher and clothes washer with
full loads only.
- Prevent and report water waste to any board
member.
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July
HOW MUCH WATER IS USED??
INSIDE THE HOME...
Running the tap................2-5 gallons per minute
Taking a shower.................2-7 gallons per minute
Taking a bath.....................20-60 gallons per bath
Washing a full load
of clothes............................24-40 gallons per load
Flushing the toilet............1.28-7 gallons per flush
Running an automatic
dishwasher..........................10-20 gallons per load
OUTSIDE THE HOME...
Running the hose ...........5-10 gallons per minute
Watering 1,000 square feet of grass
in summer........................850 gallons per week
in fall................................400 gallons per week
Watering 1,000 square feet of shrubs
in summer........................450 gallons per week
in fall................................200 gallons per week
Watering a mature fruit tree (15’ canopy)
in summer........................131 gallons per week
in fall..................................41 gallons per week
August
Benefits of an Efficient Irrigation Schedule
The benefits of efficient irrigation include healthy landscapes,
water savings, and lower water bills.
The idea is simple: the water applied to the landscape should be
used by the plants being irrigated. This means minimizing the amount of water
lost due to runoff, over spray, or percolation below the root zone of the
plants.
Too much of a good thing? It's
important to note that too much water causes problems.
Weed Growth : Over
watering encourages weed growth. Weeds are water thieves and can out-compete
desirable plants.
Pest Infestations :
Excess water can be an invitation to water-loving pests/insects, which can
damage plant health.
Shallow Roots :
Watering too frequently can lead to shallow rooted plants that do poorly in dry
spells. Watering too often also reduces the amount of air available in the soil,
and some plants will actually "drown" under these conditions.
Loss of Nutrients :
Soil provides nutrients to plants. Too much water can leach the nutrients
through the soil, leaving plants undernourished.
Plant Stress : Too
much water can stress plants, making them more susceptible to disease and pest
infestations.
Increased Yard Maintenance :
Excess water can lead to excess plant growth which leads to more yard work
(weeding, pruning, mowing, fertilizing, pest management, etc).
Erosion Damage :
Water is a powerful force that can erode away precious soil and damage
structures such as fence posts.
Runoff Hazards : Wet sidewalks
and streets can be a slip hazard, and water can damage cement and asphalt
surfaces over time.
September
October
Depending on rains; Landscape watering systems MAY be shut down for the winter.
Fall Back with Water
Conservation
|
As
fall approaches, sunlight hours are getting shorter, which means plants
need less water. This is a good time to look at your irrigation
schedule and adjust down your watering times to prevent over
watering. Call Turf Time at (707) 543-3466 to find recommended
watering schedules for your area.
Fall is also a great time to plant low water use
plants. Water Wise Gardening CD has listings of low water use plants
that thrive in the Santa Rosa area. It is now available online at http://www.sonoma.watersavingplants.com/default.php
(or Contact Debby
for a copy of CD) (707) 823-6633
Don't forget to apply a layer of mulch to your
new planting. Our Landscaping
Guide to Mulch brochure describe the many benefits of mulch and how to
apply in your garden.
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November
Depending on rains; Landscape watering systems MAY be shut down for the winter.
Use Your Water Sense
http://www.epa.gov/watersense/water/simple.htm
By making just a few small changes to your daily routine, you can save a
significant amount of water, which will help you save money and preserve water
supplies for future generations. Water-efficient plumbing fixtures and
irrigation systems provide the same performance and quality you've come to
expect, but with the added benefit of water savings. The Water Sense label will
help you identify high-efficiency products and programs for certified irrigation
professionals.
Along with using Water Sense labeled products, adopt the following
water-efficient practices to save money and protect the environment:
Challenge: Leaky faucets that drip at the rate of one drip
per second can waste more than 3,000 gallons of water each year.
Solution: If you're unsure whether you have a leak, read your
water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If
the meter does not read exactly the same, you probably have a leak.
Challenge: A leaky toilet can waste about 200 gallons of
water every day.
Solution: To tell if your toilet has a leak, place a drop of
food coloring in the tank; if the color shows in the bowl without flushing, you
have a leak.
Challenge: A full bath tub requires about 70 gallons of
water, while taking a five-minute shower uses 10 to 25 gallons.
Solution: If you take a bath, stopper the drain immediately and
adjust the temperature as you fill the tub.
Challenge: The average bathroom faucet flows at a rate of
two gallons per minute.
Solution: Turning off the tap while brushing your teeth in the
morning and at bedtime can save up to 8 gallons of water per day, which equals
240 gallons a month!
Challenge: The typical single-family suburban household uses
at least 30 percent of their water outdoors for irrigation. Some experts
estimate that more than 50 percent of landscape water use goes to waste due to
evaporation or runoff caused by overwatering.
Solution: Drip irrigation systems use between 20 to 50 percent
less water than conventional in-ground sprinkler systems. They are also much
more efficient than conventional sprinklers because no water is lost to wind,
runoff, and evaporation. If your in-ground system uses 100,000 gallons annually,
you could potentially save more than 200,000 gallons over the lifetime of a drip
irrigation should you choose to install it. That adds up to savings of at least
$1,150!
Challenge: The average washing machine uses about 41 gallons
of water per load.
Solution: High-efficiency washing machines use less than 28
gallons of water per load. To achieve even greater savings, wash only full loads
of laundry or use the appropriate load size selection on the washing machine.
Challenge: If your toilet is from 1992 or earlier, you
probably have an inefficient model that uses at least 3.5 gallons per flush.
Solution: New and improved high-efficiency models use less than
1.3 gallons per flush—that's at least 60 percent less than their older, less
efficient counterparts. Compared to a 3.5 gallons per flush toilet, a WaterSense
labeled toilet could save a family of four more than $90 annually on their water
bill, and $2,000 over the lifetime of the toilet.
December
Landscape watering systems should all be shut down for the winter.
Water Saving
Tips Courtesy of Santa Rosa Water Conservation Group.
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