Sooner or later, it's going to pay you to get water wise |
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June 9, 2007 From The Press Democrat By Meg McConahey It might as well be a mini-farm for all that is packed into Barbara Heiman's little half acre in east Sonoma -- including a vineyard, 30 fruit trees, perennials and an herb garden. "Everywhere there's a space, we've got something going on it," she concedes. "It's been a real issue in terms of water." But Heiman has just invested more than $3,000 to deal with her thirsty landscape. In December she replaced her old automatic sprinkler timer with a new weather-tracking smart controller that adjusts watering times and frequency based on the specific needs of her set of plants, as well as daily weather data it picks up by radio transmission. She did that after investing another $2,500 to improve and fine-tune her entire irrigation system to water more efficiently. It's still too early in the season to tell if it will pay back on her water bill. But the Santa Rosa Junior College teacher is confident of one thing: "My lawn looks better than it's ever looked and my garden looks fabulous." Heiman was one of the first homeowners in the county to take advantage of a new series of landscape incentives aimed at persuading consumers to cut down on their water use -- and waste. Several cities, including Petaluma, Rohnert Park, and Sonoma, this month are offering rebates of 75 percent up to a maximum of $1,100 (for a large property system) if homeowners replace their standard auto timer controllers with so-called smart controllers, designed to water more efficiently. Heiman's rebate brought her high-tech controller cost down to less than $700. But controllers for smaller, more urban yards could be substantially less with rebates. The offer is good through June 30 but is expected to be extended, officials said. It is one of a panoply of rebates and incentives, information and freebies available to help residents reduce their water use during a dry year when water regulators throughout the state are urging conservation in any way possible. "Our average amount of rainfall is 30.8 inches. To date, we are only at 20.5 inches, 67 percent of average," said Brad Sherwood, a spokesman for the Sonoma County Water Agency, which is asking every household this summer to reduce its water use voluntarily by 10 to 15 percent -- or 20 percent if they're really ambitious. Reducing river flows Facing the potential for historically low water levels in Lake Mendocino near Ukiah, the agency last month began reducing flows into the Russian River. While Lake Sonoma is 97 percent full, another dry year could "spell disaster for the whole region," Sherwood said, from agriculture to recreation to river wildlife. "It hits everything the county is great for." Cutting back is not just about doing the right thing. For many consumers, failing to cut back will cut deeper into the wallet. Water rates have gone up and many cities like Petaluma and Santa Rosa have tiered rate structures that penalize higher use. Officials have been promoting indoor conservation for some time. A number of cities and water departments offer attractive rebates for replacing old toilets and washing machines with specifically approved new, high-efficiency models that have been vetted for quality. High-efficiency toilets, which use pressure to assist in flushing or employ a dual-flush, use 20 percent less water than the now standard 1.6 gallon-per-flush toilet. Front loading washing machines, while significantly more expensive than top-loading models, also use up to 65 percent less water. For those who lose track of time in the shower, the Water Agency is giving away free "shower coaches," a cute 5-minute sand timer in a waterproof case that suctions to the shower wall. You can also pick up free dye tablets that can be dropped in the toilet tank. If blue invades the bowl, you should replace your leaking flapper, available in most home stores. But water regulators have concluded the biggest bang for your water buck can be achieved outdoors. According to the East Bay Municipal Utilities District, 58 percent of non-agricultural water goes into landscapes compared to 11 percent for toilets and 7 percent for showers. In fact, you can cut back your overall home water use by 10-15 percent simply by watering 20 percent less. Water in morning That doesn't mean mistreating your plants. Many people overwater their yards. Or they water inefficiently. Watering early in the morning or late at night means less evaporation. Your landscape may not even notice if you lower the minutes per cycle or run your system fewer days per week. And by splitting your watering into two shorter cycles, you will reduce water runoff, particularly in heavy clay soil, resulting in a deeper watering and healthier plants. A lot of water is squandered by leaks in the system. Many cities, including Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Petaluma and Windsor, will come out and audit your water use inside and out to help you save, and that includes pinpointing leaky toilets, checking the efficiency of shower heads and faucets and checking for leaks in your outdoor irrigation system. Some cities will come out and assess your particular yard to tell you how to water more efficiently. But there are even more dramatic incentives being dangled before ratepayers. Santa Rosa, Sonoma and the Valley of the Moon Water District are offering cash for your grass, which is the thirstiest thing you could plant in your yard. "It's all about behavior, and that's one of the hardest things to change," Sherwood said. "People like their nice big green lush lawn on a hillside they don't use." The city of Santa Rosa is offering 50 cents per square foot up to 500 square feet for replacing grass with waster-wise plants, mulch or other porous materials. A typical 1,000-square-foot lawn would gulp down 20,000 gallons of water from April to October while plants appropriate to our Mediterranean climate would need just 7,000 gallons for an entire year, said Dan Muelrath, Water Conservation Coordinator for the City of Santa Rosa. "We don't want to just promote paving," he stressed. "We want the soil to absorb the water and recharge the ground." Santa Rosa's rebate program is comprehensive, offering up to $350 back if consumers take a range of steps outlined for them in a free water audit. That could mean anything from replacing spray nozzles to getting a higher efficiency control box to retrofitting from a spray to a slower drip system. One of the newest irrigation-efficiency tools on the market are smart controllers, a technology developed and manufactured by the Petaluma-based HydroPoint Data System under the name WeatherTRAK. The same device is also marketed by Toro and Irritrol and available at irrigation supply companies like Watersavers in Petaluma, Harmony Farm & Supply in Sebastopol and John Deere Landscape in Santa Rosa. ETwater in Corte Madera also sells its own smart controllers. Petaluma, Rohnert Park and Sonoma are currently offering substantial rebates of $300 to $1,100 for swapping their old control boxes for one of these high-tech sensor and data boxes that take the guesswork out of watering. A typical 12-station box would cost $500, before the 75 percent rebate. Programmed for your specific landscape and property -- based on factors like shade, slope and the type of plants you have -- the box automatically adjusts your watering schedule using local weather data. WeatherTRAK collects the data from 15,000 weather stations across the United States. Signaling fees are extra, averaging about $4 a month. But 100 percent rebates are available for that cost as well. Water Saving Tips Outside
Getting Help Cities and water agencies with active incentives and consumer outreach programs (all offer free residential water use surveys, water-wise gardening CDs and lawn watering advice): Sonoma County Water Agency: Comprehensive clearinghouse for water conservation, free water conservation information, free low-flow nozzles, aerators and shower heads, consumer library, links to programs and offers by participating water departments in the county. Call 547-1900 and ask to speak with a water conservation specialist. 404 Aviation Blvd., Santa Rosa. www.scwa.ca.gov. Cotati: Free low-flow showerheads, aerators, nozzles; up to two free ultra-low-flush toilets; $100-$150 rebate on high-efficiency clothes washers; 523-1010, www.ci.cotati.ca.us. Forestville: Free low-flow showerheads, aerators and hose nozzles; $150 rebate for high-efficiency toilets. 887-1551. Petaluma: Free low-flow showerheads, aerators, hose nozzles; $150 rebate for high-efficiency toilet and up to $150 for high-efficiency clothes washer; 75 percent rebate up to $1,000 on the purchase price of a Smart, weather-adjusting irrigation controller. 778-4507, www.cityofpetaluma.net Rohnert Park: Free low-flow showerheads, aerators and hose nozzles; $150 rebate for high-efficiency toilet and up to $150 for high-efficiency clothes washer; 75 percent rebate up to $1,100 on the cost of a weather-adjusting irrigation controller. 547-1968, www.rpcity.org. Santa Rosa: Free low-flow shower heads, aerators, self-closing hose nozzles; $150 rebate for high-efficiency toilet and up to $150 for high-efficiency clothes washer; Green Exchange Program offers rebates for the removal of turf and/or the installation of water-conserving irrigation hardware up to $350. TURF-TIME offers updated watering recommendations based on data from weather stations located in Santa Rosa (available on the city Web site or voicemail hotline at 543-3466). More info: 543-3985 or www. srcity.org/wc. Sonoma: Free low-flow showerheads, aerators, hose nozzles; $150 rebate for high-efficiency toilet and up to $150 for high-efficiency clothes washer; cash for grass rebate of $50 per 100 square feet up to $400 for replacing turf with water-wise plants or synthetic turf; 75 percent up to $1,100 rebate for installing a qualified Smart irrigation controller with additional $150 for drip irrigation and mulch. 933-2247, www.sonomacity.org. Valley of the Moon Water District: Free low-flow shower heads, aerators, self-closing hose nozzles; $150 rebate for high-efficiency toilet and up to $150 for high-efficiency clothes washer; cash for grass rebate of $50 per 100 square feet up to $400 for replacing turf with water-wise plants. 996-1037, www.vomwd.com. Windsor: Free low-flow shower heads, aerators, self-closing hose nozzles; $150 rebate for high-efficiency toilet; $75 rebate for low-water-use clothes washer. 838-1004, www.townofwindsor.com. |
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