Council hears value of water conservation

Residents in the city of Sonoma have conserved 726 acre feet of water since the city applied in 2001 for money from the Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA) to fund a water conservation program. SCWA conservation specialist Carrie Pollard updated the city council at its meeting on effective water conservation programs.
Pollard presented the council with a few examples of “best management practices” for water conservation: (1) residential water audits, (2) turf and toilet replacement, (3) city park irrigation improvements, (4) residential washing machine rebates, and (5) school education programs.
“Getting to the people – and actually making them aware of water conservation practices are our greatest challenge to date,” Pollard said. The educational program has subject-specific lessons for every grade level, supporting the California state science standards. Participating schools are Prestwood and Sassarini Elementary Schools, the K-8 Presentation School, and Sonoma Valley High School.
“All programs and materials are free to teachers in the service area,” Pollard said. They stress the value of water as a precious, primary natural resource and encourage water conservation and watershed stewardship. There is $156,083 to spend in the eighth year of the program, leaving a balance of $117,000 for the final two years.
“We’ve got to sell conservation,” concluded mayor pro tem Joanne Sanders.