Santa Clara Valley Water District Woes: Drawing Down Water Reserves No Policy; That’s Why Milpitas Has Killer Water Conservation Rebates!!! (MilpitasPostOnline)

Jan.22, 2009 in Drought, Prop Management, Public Works, Water Conservation, Water Crisis, Water Industry, Water Management

(Jan. 21, 2009, The Milpitas Post Online)

BASKING in the 70-degree sunshine, especially when envisioning the rest of the country’s teeth-chattering, it’s understandable that a drought scenario doesn’t come readily to mind. Many of us have put away the hoses and assume that our landscaping and lawns will do just fine through the winter. There was some moisture around Christmas, but the Santa Clara Valley Water District is worried.

They are warning that if some significant rains don’t come along in the next few months, we could be facing the imposition of water rationing something we haven’t had since 1991. District reservoirs are under 45 percent full with the result that the underground aquifers have not been replenished. Drawing down the district’s reserves isn’t a sound policy long term.

That’s one of the reasons that the water district has set up a policy of rewarding homeowners and businesses with cash rebates if they take various steps to cut down on water use. These incentives can mount up to serious money. And some of these cash awards are being matched by the City of Milpitas to make them even more tempting.

The Water Efficient Landscape Rebate Program, for example, will reward you with up to $2,000 depending on your lot size if you replace your lawn with a less water-guzzling landscape. Native California plants, particularly suitable drought-tolerant substitutes, can result in water savings as well as labor savings. And there are rebates for smart electrical controllers for irrigation efficiency, low-flow showers and toilets, etc.

(Original Article Here)

Replacing a front lawn that isn’t ever played on is an especially wise move because it saves water, increases habitat diversity (birds and butterflies) and reduces the pollution caused by lawn mowers, pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides. It becomes a personal gesture to “go green” and battle global warming.

It also can be beautiful. The energetic green-thumber can make it a do-it-yourself project. There are also a number of professionals who will do the job and also help with the paperwork to get the rebates. You can look over a list of such specialists on the Web site of the California Native Plant Professionals at www.landscapestandards.com as well as seeing some photos of homeowners who have made the switch.

One such professional landscape designer is Deva Luna, who will be speaking at a free lecture at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 5, in the new Milpitas Public Library, sponsored by the Friends of the Library. In the interest of full disclosure, it should be mentioned that Luna is the daughter of former Milpitas Post publisher Mort Levine. She and her firm Earthcare Landscaping (www.earthcareland.com) have devised a “Natural Front Yards” program that is about one third the cost of traditional landscaping but qualifies for the city and district rebates.

The lecture will cover pros and cons of different lawn removal techniques, including sheet mulching, sod cutting and rototilling.

The range of choices and firms to check out is wide but the goal is a desirable one. We may turn out to be lucky and get our rains this spring. But given the ever-rising costs of water and its limited supply, the idea of conservation and efficiency may well turn out to be the best idea that has been thought of since the subdivision landscape styles of the east and Midwest were originally transplanted here a half century ago.

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