California experienced its driest year on record in 2013, prompting Gov. Jerry Brown to declare a drought emergency last month. The local water district also called for a mandatory 20-percent cut in water use earlier this week.
The Santa Clara Valley Water District Board of Directors approved a resolution Tuesday asking residents and water retailers to limit their use by 20 percent of 2013 uses. Enforcing the mandatory water use cuts is up to the cities and others who provide water directly to the customers.
Morgan Hill City staff Wednesday said they are preparing a report on proposals to cut water use for the March 19 Council meeting.
“We would expect that many Morgan Hill residents and businesses will reduce water use this year in response to the Water District’s call for a 20 reduction,” said Morgan Hill Program Administrator Anthony Eulo.
And even with two storm systems rolling in this week, the first on Wednesday, California is nowhere close to being out of the weeds when it comes to weathering the worst drought it’s ever seen.
But ways to be frugal with water runneth over, as small actions can add up to big water savings.
According to the Santa Clara Valley Water District, if everyone in Santa Clara County saved 20 gallons of water a day, it would save more than 13 billion gallons a year.
To help consumers reach this goal, the City of Morgan Hill, the SCVWD and other organizations provide information and resources online. The water district’s free ‘Water-Wise House Calls’ include a survey of homeowner water use and offer tips on how to conserve water. These organizations also offer rebates for a number of water-saving home improvements. Here’s a helpful list of ways to conserve more H2O.
The trouble with toilets
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that Americans use more water each day by flushing the toilet than by showering. High-efficiency toilets can reduce water use by about five gallons per flush compared with traditional toilets.
For example, doing the math, if the roughly 40,000 residents of Morgan Hill flushed three times a day using HETs, they would generate a savings of roughly 600,000 gallons of water per day if they switched to high-efficiency toilets.
The water district is currently offering rebates of $50 to $125 to homeowners who replace inefficient toilets with high-efficiency ones.
This was a no-brainer for Morgan Hill resident Alan Bicho, who replaced all three of the toilets in his home with the latest low-volume toilets. Another resourceful resident said that while her family can’t afford to purchase new toilets, they put a brick in each toilet tank to reduce water volume, and adopted an “if it’s yellow let it mellow” practice of not flushing with each use.
Laundry lessons
Consumers can save up to $200 with a combined water district and PG&E rebate on certain Energy Star washing machines. According to the water district, on average, a typical household can save more than 6,000 gallons of water and $80 to $100 in electricity per year while helping the environment by reducing wastewater flows.
The water district has also introduced a new $100 rebate program for homeowners who install qualified “laundry to landscape” graywater systems. The program requires pre- and post-installation inspections. Water district estimates put water savings from graywater systems at about 17 gallons a day per person.
Kitchen conservation
For Morgan Hill resident John Foggiato, water-saving happens at the kitchen sink. By installing a touch faucet, his family saves many gallons of water when handwashing and rinsing pots, pans and big dishes.
One Morgan Hill couple recycled their 1970s model dishwasher, which used “a whopping 18 gallons a load.” Their new model saves about 13 gallons of water per load, depending upon the wash cycle chosen.
A water-efficient dishwasher could easily save 2,000 gallons per year and pay for itself within two years, according to Marc Kimball, Bay Area Regional Merchandising Manager for Home Depot.
Call the plumber
Most homeowners and renters admit to letting water run while waiting for hot water to come out of their faucets and showers. A 2009 analysis by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory showed that in a typical three-bedroom, two-bath home, this practice was responsible for 95 percent of the nearly 3,000 gallons of household hot water wasted annually.
The National Resource Defense Council estimates that insulating hot water pipes can reduce this waste of water and energy by 15 to 30 percent. As water and energy costs continue to rise, this will translate into more savings for consumers.
One family in Morgan Hill’s Jackson Oaks neighborhood took the idea a step further by installing a hot water re-circulation pump and controller unit in their household plumbing.
“When we want to take a shower, wash dishes or do laundry, we flip a switch and have hot water at the spouts…no water waste,” one of the family members noted.
Lightweight landscapes
It’s not only what you plant, but how and when you water your landscape that counts. Rising water costs and drought conditions are motivating homeowners to forego thirsty Kentucky bluegrass lawns in favor of drought-tolerant California native plants and Xeriscape techniques that emphasize water-saving soil management and mulching.
According to Irene Ignacio, assistant manager at Johnson Lumber Ace Hardware in Morgan Hill, even new fertilizer products are designed to be more water efficient.
Installing qualified low-water using landscapes can reduce irrigation water use by up to 20 percent. Homeowners can qualify for rebates when they upgrade irrigation hardware or install weather-based irrigation controllers through the water district landscape rebate program.
While many residents such as Amy Helstrup are setting their landscape irrigation systems to run for shorter time periods, others are opting for simple drip irrigation.
According to one local organic gardener, “I have a love-hate relationship with the drip system…you have to keep on top of it, or it can get plugged. Still, it really saves water in the long run.”
Home Depot’s Kimball said that a drip irrigation kit can save as much as 30,000 gallons of water per year and pay for itself in four months.
Teachers and students get water savvy
Schools are incorporating water conservation topics into their curriculum, adding field trips to their calendars and inviting water organizations to campus to present workshops for students.
“There’s more demand than usual for our classroom program, especially since the drought hit the news,” said Kathy Machado, education coordinator for the SCVWD. “I’ve been getting calls every day.”
The SCVWD’s program, “Water Education for Teachers,” (WET) will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 7. The training is offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Interested teachers can call Machado at (408) 630-2331 or email km******@va*********.Water-wise resources
WaterSense is an EPA Partnership Program designed to promote water conservation. Products bearing the WaterSense label are 20 percent more water-efficient than average products within their categories and provide measurable water savings results, according to their website.
The WaterSense label can be found on toilets, faucets and other sink accessories, showerheads and weather-based irrigation controllers.
Want to be water-wise? There’s an app for that. The H2O Tracker quizzes users on their water knowledge and awards points for correct answers to questions such as how much water it takes to wash a car, water the lawn or take a shower; and points can be redeemed for prizes.
More resources and additional reading: Websites such as Save20gallons.org provide interactive water-efficiency calculators to help homeowners estimate household water use against neighborhood averages. The Association of California Water Agencies offer common-sense tips on its website, Saveourwater.org. This includes using a self-closing nozzle on the backyard hose when washing cars, trucks, patio furniture and RVs; and using a broom to clean up outside when a hose isn’t really needed. Either one saves an average of eight to 18 gallons of water per minute – not to mention the benefits of a little fresh air and exercise.
-Reporter Michael Moore contributed to this story.
City of Morgan Hill
www.morgan-hill.ca.gov
Santa Clara Valley Water District
http://www.valleywater.org, http://www.save20gallons.org/ and the Water Conservation Hotline at (408) 630-2554
Environmental Protection Agency
http://www.epa.gov/watersense
Association of California Water Agencies
http://www.saveourh2o.org/
Alliance for Water Efficiency
http://allianceforwaterefficiency.org
California Urban Water Conservation Council
http://www.h2ouse.org/
WORLD WATER DAY
March 22, 2014
The United Nations set aside March 22nd each year to focus the world’s attention on water issues and the importance of water in every aspect of life. To learn more, visit the UN website at www.unwater.org/worldwaterday or follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/UNWorldWaterDay
