How to save water around the house, yard
Water sprinklers are used at Heartwell Park in Long Beach on Thursday. California Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday ordered a 25 percent overall cutback in water use by cities and towns, but not farms, in the most sweeping drought measures ever undertaken by the nation’s most populous state.
NICK UT/AP PHOTO
REDDING, California - Art Vasquez is in the business of selling plumbing supplies and irrigation products, but one of his favorite water-saving devices is an empty coffee can.
“It sounds silly, but I fill up two coffee cans while waiting for the hot water” to come out of the tap in the kitchen, said Vasquez, a salesman at J.W. Wood in Redding.
He reuses what he captures to water his plants around the house.
With California in the midst of its fourth year of drought, officials are asking people to save and reuse water when possible.
California Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday issued an order that includes reducing drinking water consumption by 25 percent.
Saving tap water in a coffee can is just one of many ways to conserve. Where there is water — in the kitchen, bathroom or outdoors — there are ways to conserve it.
Newer homes already have water-saving toilets and low-flow shower heads and faucets. But homeowners can retrofit in older homes to save water, he said.
Newer toilets use as little as 1.28 gallons per flush, he said. That is much less than an older pre-1995 toilet, which uses about 3 gallons per flush, Vasquez said.
And some new shower heads use as little as 1.6 gallons per minute.
In the kitchen, residents can cut water use at the sink by installing aerators and flow restrictors on the tap.
Part of the governor’s order included directing the California Energy Commission to offer rebates on water-saving home appliances to encourage people to replace older, less efficient appliances, such as washing machines, dishwashers and water heaters.
The agency is still developing that rebate program, said Albert Lundeen, a spokesman for the commission.
Outdoors, Vasquez said people can install drip-irrigation systems in the garden, which are more efficient because they apply water directly to the soil.
Sprinklers lose about 30 percent of their efficiency through evaporation, Vasquez said. In landscaped areas where sprinklers are necessary, low-angle heads can reduce waste, he said.
Ed Thomas, who owns Creekside Gardens in Redding, has advice that may be hard for many green-grass loving Americans to hear.
“The biggest thing you can do is remove your lawn and replace it with water-wise groundcover because lawns suck up more water than anything else in the landscape,” he said.
Thomas also recommends planting drought-tolerant plants and using native species whenever possible. Natives are adapted to the long, dry seasons of the North State. Once they are established, they don’t need to be watered in the summer.
Some drought tolerants include Mexican evening primrose, a groundcover. Others include rock roses, thyme, kinikinik or bear berry, a native manzanita that grows only 4 to 6 inches high.
Ceanothus, California flannel bush, coyote bush, red bud and red yucca also grow in the garden and are drought tolerant.
Thomas even has coffee berry, a native species he germinated from seed that he collected from a pile of bear poop.
The Sunset Western Garden Book includes a list of drought-tolerant plants that grow well in the North State region, he said.
Thomas and others also recommend avoiding sprinklers when possible and installing drip-irrigation systems in the garden. Drip lines apply water directly to the soil near the plant.
Adding mulch to the garden keeps soil moist longer and keeps roots cool. Thomas also recommends using a timing system and watering in the early morning before the sun comes up.
Water-saving tips
Outdoors
Use water-efficient drip irrigation to apply water directly to the soil.
Set irrigation systems on timers and only water during the nighttime or early morning.
Mulch around trees and shrubs.
Wash cars on grass, rather than letting the water run down the driveway. And use a hose self-closing shutoff nozzle.
Plant drought-tolerant shrubs and trees and native species in the garden.
Install low-angle sprinkler heads to reduce evaporation.
Water deeper so roots are forced to go deeper into the soil in search of water.
Indoors
Install aerators and flow restrictors on faucets in the kitchen and bathroom.
Wash fruits and vegetables in a pan to collect the water for re-use.
Use low-flow shower heads.
When washing hands, turn the water off while lathering.
Consider installing a dual-flush toilet, which has a half-flush for liquid waste and a full-flush for solid waste.
Collect water in a can while waiting for hot water at the sink. Re-use it to water houseplants.
Test your toilet at least once a year by putting food coloring in the tank. If the colored water leaks into the bowl without flushing, there’s a leak.
Use an energy efficient clothes washer, and do full loads.
Source: California Department of Water Resources
http://www.redding.com/news/local-ne...-yard_13369648
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