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Two trucks pulled up this week in front of a home on Apple Valley Road. City employees, one with a clipboard, the other with a box of assorted, low-flow showerheads and aerators, advanced up the walkway and rang the bell. A woman pulled the door open.
Michelle Jernigan, this is your Home Water Makeover.
The single mother of two figured she was pretty good at conserving water. Her half-acre lot didn’t have much lawn, and the drip-irrigation system was set to the minimum. “I waste very little water,” she said. “Where I can make an impact, I do my best.”
That includes recycling dish and even pasta water for the plants, and turning off the faucet while brushing her teeth, a habit reinforced by her daughters, Meg, 6, and Kate, 4. “The kids tell the adults to turn off the faucets,” she said. “I’m neurotic about it.”
She always checks her water bill, so she noticed an increase two years ago. It was small outdoor leak. “Yes, it’s money,” she says, “but my motivation is environmental.”
Kathy Toohey, the water conservation coordinator, and Trent Hudson, from the Sonoma public works department, were there to perform a home water audit. The free service is part of the conservation program sponsored by the City of Sonoma and the Valley of the Moon Water District. Would they find any holes in Jernigan’s conservation strategy?
The first step was a look at her water bills. Compared to last summer, Toohey said this year’s usage was down about 40 percent. “I’m so happy to hear that,” Jernigan said. “I’ve been so conscientious about it.”
Toohey was impressed by the lowered usage, particularly because Jernigan has a backyard pool. The history also showed no spikes in usage, so any major leaks could be ruled out.
A water audit includes everything and the kitchen sink, so that was a good place to start. The testing procedure is the same for all faucets. Toohey put a special plastic bag – marked with gradients, like a measuring cup – around the top of the faucet. With coordinated countdown, she turns the water on full-blast while Hudson counts five seconds off his stop watch … or cell phone clock, whatever’s handy.
They quickly did the math. The five-second blast, times the amount of water in the bag, works out to about 2.2 gallons per minute. “Right about where you want to be,” said Hudson. The kitchen had passed the first test.
Next came the bathrooms. Toilets older than 1992 are a real water-wasting culprit, using between three and five gallons per flush, Hudson explained. Newer models, like Jernigan’s, stamped with a 1.6 gallon rating, perform much better. The latest generation use only about 1.2 gallons per use, and no you don’t have to flush multiple times.
The house had the same sink faucet in all three bathrooms, so the 2-gallon per minute test result was a good sign, falling within what Toohey called “the OK range of 1.5 to 2.0.”
The makeover was going swimmingly until the auditors hit the showers. Out of them emerged figures scarier than Norman Bates: close to five gallons a minute, more than twice the target flow “That’s huge,” Toohey said. “These are definitely places to make a change.”
After checking that the outdoor irrigation timer to make sure it was set correctly, it was time for the lovely parting gifts: congratulations from Toohey and Hudson, plus three new, low-flow shower heads and a hand-held hose nozzle. As with all home audits, the items were free, compliments of the conservation program.
“I’m psyched to find out I’m on the right track,” Jernigan said later. “There’s nothing like a nice pat on the back when you’re trying to do the right thing.”
To schedule a water audit for your home of business: 707.933.2247. Free, high-quality showerheads, faucet aerators, hose nozzles and dye tabs are available at city hall.
Water-Saving Rebate Program
The City of Sonoma in cooperation with the Sonoma County Sanitation District offers:
• High-efficiency toilets – up to $150 for approved models.
• High-efficiency clothes washer – up to $75 for approved models.
• Cash for Grass – remove lawn and get a rebate of up to 75 cents per square foot, up to $1,000
Find out more: vomw.com
