On Monday June 1, a mandatory 25 percent water reduction program went into effect in Sonoma. This means that every home and business must comply with the rules: irrigating lawns and outdoor plants only on certain days; not watering between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.; no hosing of pavement, running ornamental fountains or filling empty swimming pools; and the worst offender, any watering that creates run-off like washing your car with an open-ended hose.
Of course, many of these rules should be common sense to residents of drought-plagued California. But this summer is different. Sonoma’s Department of Public Works is going to be watching and will take reports of water waste at 707.938.3332 or water@vom.com. Get caught breaking the rules once and you’ll receive a letter detailing the offense; twice, a formal letter of complaint; a third time earns the offender a fine of $75.
But according to Milenka Bates, director of Sonoma DPW, things are slightly better in Sonoma than in other areas like Mendocino, which has instituted a 50 percent cut in usage.
“We’ve instituted the rules as a result of a water shortage emergency declared by the City Council on April 15,” said Bates. The “Stage 2” alert pegs target water usage at 140 gallons per person, per day. The current figure is about 180. Last year, with a reduction goal of 15 percent, the City reduced water usage by 22 percent. That success came as a result of water-saving devices installed by customers as well as the adoption of conservation practices.
Hang the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign
In anticipation of the reductions brought on another dry winter, local businesses have jumped on the conservation bandwagon. Some of the biggest water users in Sonoma are hotels, which use water to keep grounds looking pristine and guests happy with fresh linens and towels.
However, a new “towel and linen reuse” program has been sweeping the country, and hotels here have followed suit. For the uninitiated, the program asks that guests wishing to reuse their towels, rather than having them replaced by housekeeping each day, simply hang them on the towel bar neatly. Similarly, guests can request to have the bed made without having the sheets changed.
At MacArthur Place, Stacey Ward, financial analyst, said that close to 90 percent of guests choose to participate in the reuse program, saving an average of 4,500 gallons of water per month over a three-month span. General Manager Bill Blum would like to take it a step further and has approached the City about providing a letter from their offices alerting guests to Sonoma’s current water shortage. “I think a letter from the City in all the rooms that encourages guests to conserve water and giving them tips for doing so would go a long way toward raising everyone’s level of consciousness,” said Blum.
Blum went on to describe the other ways MacArthur Place is cutting back, including installing a water-free urinal he recently saw at Infineon Raceway, using ultra low flow pre-rinse spray nozzles in the kitchen, and low flow toilets and aerated faucets in all the rooms. Outside, the hotel is using non-potable well water for irrigation, adjusting sprinklers and watering at night.
“The Sonoma County Water Agency came out and did an efficiency assessment for us and we’re following up on their suggestions,” said Blum. “But ultimately, our best bet is involving the guests. They are the ones who have control over most of our water usage, so it makes sense.”
Jeff Perry, general manager of the Best Western Sonoma Valley Inn, said that the hotel has also instituted the towel and linen reuse program, has replaced all 80 shower heads with low flow models and is constantly monitoring irrigation for leaks or inefficiencies.
Taking it outside
Because half of all water usage in the summer is outside, one of the best places to conserve is the garden. Friedman’s Home Improvement sells an enormous array of irrigation supplies, from high- to low-end, and sales specialist Joe Morton is happy to talk shop with anyone researching ways to conserve.
Rain/freeze sensors are popular choices for irrigation control. The systems work by shutting irrigation systems off when rain or freezing temperatures hit. Friedman’s carries an assortment of brands that are relatively inexpensive, under $20, and easy to install onto a gutter or fence post with wires that run back to the controller.
At the high end, the Cyber Rain Smart Sprinkler controller is computer controlled and will take a download for the area and shut the system off if rain is predicted. It can even be controlled remotely, given the correct technology. At $399, not including installation it’s a bit pricey but users swear by it, says Morton.
Steve Ledson, developer of Armstrong Estates, said the Armstrong neighborhood is one of the biggest water users in Sonoma and he is going out of his way to use the latest in technology to stem the flow.
“Armstrong Estates has half-acre parcels and lots of landscaping. The neighborhood used about 12 million gallons last year. The city has asked us to cut back by 25 percent but with the advances in irrigation technology I think we can cut back by 50 percent,” said Ledson.
Ledson is working with Wyatt Irrigation Supply in Santa Rosa to change all of the irrigation clocks in the neighborhood to weather sensitive models that shut off in rain or fog. They’ve also reengineered the landscape design and irrigation systems to work as efficiently as possible.
In some instance they’re replacing lawns with a different type of grass, a fescue that requires half the water. More efficient sprinkler heads for lawns and soaker hoses and drip irrigation in flowerbeds are also being installed to alleviate the waste that happens with spray emitters.
“We employed the latest in landscaping technology when we built the HGTV dream home,” said Ledson. “Not only is the irrigation state-of-the-art but we also built a groundwater recharge system that channels run-off back into the aquifer rather than down the storm sewer. I want to carry some of that knowledge to the rest of Armstrong Estates to reduce water consumption as much as possible.”
Armstrong Estates homeowner Leo McCloskey cut his water usage 75 percent using a combination of new irrigation and plantings. McCloskey replaced water-loving Japanese boxwood with drought-tolerant English boxwood. He also tore up his blue grass lawn and installed eco-friendly fescue instead. But more importantly he replaced the traditional pop-up sprinklers with new and distinctive stream-type heads that dramatically improve accuracy and virtually eliminate water loss through evaporation that occurs with spray emitters.
“My water use is 66 percent of normal,” said McCloskey. “I now water my lawn for five minutes rather than 20. And my water bill is a fraction of the $500 it used to be. The best investment has been changing out the sprinkler heads. It’s the cheapest and easiest solution.”
Brown is the new green
Don and Valerie Patterson, owners of the Hidden Oak Bed & Breakfast on East Napa Street, took a green approach when re-landscaping their front yard. Born of a desire to rid themselves of their “mow and blow” crew, the Pattersons set out to design a cottage garden that suited the property and coincided with their conservation goals: reducing water usage, cutting down on green house gas emissions and joining the Slow Food movement.
The Pattersons pulled up the front lawn and replaced it with a gravel courtyard and paths with raised planters for herbs and vegetables. They’ve incorporated citrus trees and other drought tolerant plants and have installed a new drip irrigation system for more efficient watering.
“The whole space is now set up around the edible yard concept,” said Don Patterson. “We attract birds, bees, and butterflies. It’s more peaceful and we get a much better return on our investment with the garden than we did with that big chunk of lawn.”
While the Pattersons embarked on their landscape redesign for aesthetic and agricultural reasons, it should be noted that they did receive a small rebate from the Sonoma County Water Agency for their efforts.
According to Carrie Pollard, a water conversation specialist, the SCWA will pay 75 cents per square foot for those willing to pull up their lawns and will also give $300 towards drip irrigation and mulch with a maximum outlay of $3,000. In addition, the agency has a landscape equipment rebate. After a site assessment, participants will be given a list of recommendations that the SCWA will help fund at 50 percent of the cost for irrigation hardware (sprinkler heads and controllers) and 75 percent for drip irrigation. They will fund 100 percent of rain shut off devices.
“We want to help home and business owners conserve water any we can. Hopefully these programs will encourage people to make those necessary changes,” said Pollard. To learn more about the SCWA’s program, contact Pollard at 707.547.1968.
