 San
Diego County has a semi-arid climate and a very small supply
of local water. Between 90% and 95% of the county's
water is imported. Using water efficiently is a
permanent way of life in San Diego. Making the most of
every drop of water helps to protect San Diego's $144 billion
dollar economy and preserve the quality of life for more than
3 million residents. This is why Water conservation is
important.
California lost 700.000 acre feet of the Colorado River to
Arizona and Nevada. Southern California has to import 90%-95%
of its water from Northern California and the Colorado River.
Water lost would be enough to supply 1,600,000 households.
Right now we are buying water from Imperial County. They are
experiencing their own building boom. We must start using
some of the Xeriscape principals.
- By designing a good Irrigation
System; one that will conserve on the water. A good mini
sprinkler and drip irrigation system design will save up to 50%.
- Take a soil test. If it’s a Sandy
mix in organics, this will stop the soil from draining too
fast. With clay soil, you can mix organics into it and it
will drain better. With a soil test, they will recommend the
percentages, and it would be wise to follow them.
- Choose good Drought Tolerant Plants
and California Natives.
- If we mulch around our shrubs and
trees, we will cut down on weeds and evaporation.
- The most important is
Regular Maintenance to get Maximum
Performance. Repair all leaks and broken Emitters and
Sprinklers and keep them adjusted, if not broken or worn
out. This is why I talked about the Commercial job and why
no one was doing the maintenance on it by
repairing everything and it saved $16,625. By converting to
drip irrigation, I saved $13,925 totaling $30,550.00 saved in water
expenses.
 I
want to thank Bruce Asakawa for introducing me to Brad Monroe,
Program Coordinator for Cuyamaca College and all the fine
teachers and staff. Also, special thanks to South Western Colleges: Bill Homyak and Meridith Sinclair.
Happy Gardening
Bruce’s website is
www.gardencompass.com
Contact me at
desertscapedsgn@cs.com |
