Water Savings Success!

NEW WATERING SCHEDULE
All of us who are customers of Mesa Water District recently received a little card informing us that we could now water two days per week, Tuesday and Saturday, before 8 a.m. and after 5 p.m.  Here is information snatched directly from their web page that will be helpful to you.  It prescribes the watering schedule for the rest of the year. (Click on the image to enlarge it)

OUR NEW YARD
As some know, last year about this time we had just finished building a new porch and embarked on a water-savings program of our own.  We removed all our grass from the front yard and installed drought tolerant plants - natives, for the most part.  That project was completed, including a drip system that places an outlet at every plant, near the end of April, 2015.  I thought I'd give you a little update, including a visual comparison of how the yard looked in April vs. today, ten months later.

HUGE SAVINGS
And, just for your information, when comparing our water bill from two years ago - February 2014 - to the most recent bill - February 2016 - we cut our consumption by a whopping 59%!  And, it was no fluke.  Tracking other months show similar results.

ENJOY
So, it's possible to do it.  We're very pleased with the results.  Of interest, those California Poppies re-seeded themselves - the original plants were removed when the flowers passed last summer.  Next year we will have a LOT of poppies!  The Mexican Sage (purple plants) have been pruned once already.  The Santa Barbara Daisies along the edge are extremely satisfactory.  And, yes... we love our porch.  Enjoy.

 View From The Porch

 View From The Street

Free Water Conservation Goodies

"DROUGHT DRIVE-THRU" EVENT
Mark your calendars, you thirsty people!  The Mesa Water District has announced an event that most of us will find attractive.  A week from next Saturday, on December 12, 2015, Mesa Water will hold a "Drought Drive-Thru" event at the South Parking lot of Estancia High School, 2323 Placentia Avenue,  from 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon.

WALK, DRIVE OR BIKE WITH ID...
Show up with proper ID - a Mesa Water bill or California Identification - and you will receive a 2-gallon bucket full of good stuff.  See the flyer below for details.  (Click on image to enlarge)

 WE CAN DO MORE...
Although most of us are already doing a good job of conserving, this bucket of goodies from our friends at Mesa Water will help us conserve even more.

Water, Brown Lawns And Such...

WATER QUESTIONS
So, we're a couple weeks into the conservation rules with Mesa Water and I was curious about a couple things.

HOW ARE WE DOING?
First, how are we - the collective "we" - Mesa Water customers doing with our conservation efforts?  I have not received my water bill yet, so I don't know the impact of our recent replanting of our front yard.  You will recall that the rules were provided to us on a postcard, shown here.

PER MESA WATER, WE'RE DOING OK
The answer, according to Mesa Water sources today, is that we're doing pretty well.  The Mesa Water staff has been out and about, observing and citing users where appropriate.  We're so early into this process that, to my knowledge, nobody has yet been fined - but that is very possible.

HAND-WATERING
The staff reminded me that we ARE allowed to HAND WATER our fragile plants ANY day of the week as long as we use a device that automatically shuts off when you release pressure.  I bought one for $10.00 at Home Depot. You can find more information from the Mesa Water web site HERE.

TURF REMOVAL REBATE
Also, the Turf Removal Rebate Program was recently re-funded, so the good folks at Mesa Water can help you with that.  Call them at 949-631-1200.

WHAT ABOUT CODE ENFORCEMENT AND BROWN LAWNS?
I also wondered just what the City of Costa Mesa's position is on their rules about brown lawns, because the current code requires us all to keep our lawns green and tidy.  Several people have asked me about that, so I wrote to the City and asked the question.  Here's the response I received in the form of a communication from Fidel Gamboa, Chief of Code Enforcement:

Due to Governor Brown’s statewide mandatory water reductions, the Code Enforcement Division has modified its enforcement approach regarding brown landscape/lawns throughout the City.  Staff has been instructed when addressing landscaping complaints to advise residents of the following temporary changes in the City’s landscape maintenance requirements: 

• All landscape/lawns do not need to be green.
• All landscape/lawns must be kept in a trimmed and neat manner.
• If the landscape/lawns deteriorates to bare dirt, alternative landscape should be considered.

 

Additionally, an informational flyer will be included when addressing any landscape complaint.  This flyer lists the City’s approved landscape ground cover and alternative landscape materials as well as contact information for the Costa Mesa Water District in regards to their list of low water tolerate plants and their Turf Removal Rebate Program.  

HERE'S THEIR FLYER

In addition, he provided a link to a flyer that explains in greater detail the City's position.  I've provided an image of that flyer below.  Click on it to enlarge it. 

MULCH, ETC., AND ARTIFICIAL TURF?

Basically, they want you to replace grass with bark and mulch; decomposed granite or gravel and all of the above must be combined with vegetation.  The flyer also addresses the subject of Artifical Turf, which we're told is only allowed in single family zoning (R-1) when incorporated into a landscape design and does not exceed 50% of the total landscape.  Call the Planning Division if you have questions at 714-754-5254.

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

The Latest Scoop On Mesa Water's Conservation Plan

STRAIGHT FROM MESA WATER
Greetings, water guzzlers.  As promised, today I bring to you the most recent, hot-off-the-presses information from our friends and water purveyors at the Mesa Water District.

READ THE ORDINANCE
Water Conservation Ordinance No. 26, HERE, and Resolution No. 1426, HERE, have both apparently been thoroughly vetted by attorneys and are now ready for public consumption.  The District has declared this to be an Emergency situation, which justifies the IMMEDIATE imposition of the new rules.  We are at "Level 1" as defined in the attachment to Ordinance No. 26.  However, two exceptions were made.  

ONLY WATER TUESDAY AND SATURDAY!
As I mentioned in an earlier post, the new rules are in effect NOW, and today was the very first day we could water landscaping after the passage of the ordinance.  Next Saturday is the next day, unless it rains on Friday, at which time you can't water until next Tuesday.  Anyhow, the simple version is: You may water landscaping two days a week -  ONLY on Tuesdays and Saturdays and ONLY between the hours of 5 p.m and 8 a.m.  This DOES NOT apply to using  a hand-held bucket, watering can or similar device or use a hose with a positive self-closing water shut-off nozzle or device or for very short periods of time while adjusting or repairing an irrigation system.

LEAKS

Leaks must be repaired within 72 hours.

I LIED - THEY ARE PATROLLING
In an earlier post I told you that there would not be "Water Gestapo" patrolling to find scofflaws.  Well, it turns out that was based on incorrect information.  In fact, Mesa Water District staffers - both regular staffers and an "enhanced" crew hired specifically for this purpose - are patrolling our streets right now to help us conserve.  This week, if one of the staffers comes across a violation of the new rules - watering when you shouldn't, too much runoff, etc. - he might just get out of his truck and place a little reminder notice on your door, probably in the form of this notification, which will arrive in all our mailboxes within the next day or two in the form of a post card.

NEXT WEEK THE HAMMER COMES DOWN
Next week, however, those same folks will begin officially citing those of us who violate the rules by placing a door-hanger on our doors and making an official record of the occurrence which will be entered into the Mesa Water database.  A letter will be sent to the violator.  Here's how it will work:

IN ANY CALENDAR YEAR

• 1st violation - Door hanger advising of the violation and a letter sent to the violator.
• 2nd violation - Same as the above.
• 3rd violation - Same as the above, EXCEPT a $100 "Fee" will be imposed on your next water bill
• 4th violation - Same as the above, EXCEPT the "Fee" will be $200
• 5th violation - There is the very real possibility for other penalties to include disconnection of water service

CARRIED TO AN EXTREME...
Following this to it's most unlikely extreme, a member of the Mesa Water team could cite you next Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and - if you continued to violate the rules - you might be looking at $300 in "fees" PLUS the discontinuation of your service.  NOBODY expects that to happen, but under the rules now in place, it COULD.  Mesa Water officials assure me that they want to work with all ratepayers to make these conservation measures work for everyone.

PREVIOUS RESTRICTIONS, WILL BE MODIFIED
As a reminder, earlier Mesa Water defined restrictions on water
use that are permanent and included in this Conservation Program.  Here are the details of those previously-approved restrictions.  Some of these were amended by the new ordinance:

Limits On Watering Hours: No watering 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., except by hand
No Excessive Water Flow Or Runoff
No Washing Down Hard Or Paved Surfaces: Except for health and safety purposes
Obligation To Fix Leaks: In reasonable time (within 7 days of notice) (now within 72 hours)
Fountains: Only with re-circulating water
Limits On Washing Vehicles: Wash vehicles only with bucket or shut-off nozzle
Restaurants: Encouraged to only serve water on request
Hotels: Must provide guests option to not launder linen daily
No Installation Of Single-Pass Cooling Systems
No Installation of Non-Re-circulating Car Wash Systems
Restaurants Must Use Conserving Nozzles
Commercial Car Wash Systems Use Re-Circulating Water
Recycled Water Use Required: If available and cost-effective
Recycled Water - New Service: Required, if available and cost-effective

LET'S DO OUR PART
So, let's all try to do our part to help Mesa Water reach its 20% water consumption reduction goal.  I know we can do it.

Mesa Water Passes Conservation Ordinance

ORDINANCE, AS MODIFIED, PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
As mentioned in an earlier post, the Mesa Water District Board met last night before a standing-room-only crowd at their headquarters and voted unanimously to pass the New Water Conservation Ordinance.  The vote was 4-0 because President Shawn Dewane was absent - he was at the Orange County Water District Board meeting for their vote on the Poseidon Desal issue.  He's the past president of that board, too.

SOME TINKERING DONE
According to sources within Mesa Water District, the ordinance as proposed was tinkered with by the Board - some necessary fine-tuning to help the District meet the 20% water use reduction mandated by the State of California.

HERE'S A SUMMARY
Here's a little bit of information from the Mesa Water District website this morning - which will also be mailed out to all users as a post card - that will give you an overview of the changes in place: (Click on the image to enlarge it, if necessary)

NEW ORDINANCE AVAILABLE NEXT WEEK
The new ordinance is being modified from the draft document discussed last night and should be available for public observation early next week.  When that happens I'll write about this subject again.  In my earlier post I provided a chart of the levels of conservation and the details of the Conservation Program in an easy-to-use format.  That chart is now out-of-date, so I'll provide you with the new version next week, when it's available.

CUT WATER USE!
In a nutshell, Mesa Water wants us to cut outside use as much as possible.  The new ordinance restricts landscape watering to only two days each week - Tuesday and Saturday - and not within 48 hours of a rain event.  The ordinance was considered an emergency ordinance, so it is in effect NOW, which means you may not legally water your lawns and planting areas until Tuesday, and only if you must at that time.

PREVIOUS RESTRICTIONS, WILL BE MODIFIED
As a reminder, earlier Mesa Water defined restrictions on water use that are permanent and included in this Conservation Program.  Here are the details of those previously-approved restrictions.  Some of these will be amended by the new ordinance:

• Limits On Watering Hours: No watering 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., except by hand
• No Excessive Water Flow Or Runoff
• No Washing Down Hard Or Paved Surfaces: Except for health and safety purposes
• Obligation To Fix Leaks: In reasonable time (within 7 days of notice) (now within 72 hours)
  
• Fountains: Only with re-circulating water
• Limits On Washing Vehicles: Wash vehicles only with bucket or shut-off nozzle
• Restaurants: Encouraged to only serve water on request
• Hotels: Must provide guests option to not launder linen daily
• No Installation Of Single-Pass Cooling Systems
• No Installation of Non-Re-circulating Car Wash Systems
• Restaurants Must Use Conserving Nozzles
• Commercial Car Wash Systems Use Re-Circulating Water
• Recycled Water Use Required: If available and cost-effective
• Recycled Water - New Service: Required, if available and cost-effective

Penalties - Warnings with the possibility of water flow restrictor or disconnection of service.

NEW ORDINANCE PENALTIES
As I mentioned, the new ordinance is the draft ordinance with the modifications imposed by The Board last night.  It's basically the Level 1 Water Supply Shortage: Water Alert, but some shifting of priorities was done last night.  I'm told that one thing that DID NOT change is the scale for penalties under this new ordinance.  The chart for penalties, as extracted from the ordinance, is as follows and are enforceable NOW:

• PENALTIES
• 1st Violation: Warning
• 2nd Violation: Warning
• 3rd Violation: $100 Fee
• 4th & Subsequent Violation: $200 Fee
• Possibility of Discontinuing Service: For willful violations

YES, THEY WILL CITE YOU!
And, no... they are not going to be sending the "Water Gestapo" out to cite you.  However, if it comes to their attention that you're violating the rules, you will be warned, and warned - per the above.  And, if you continue to thumb your nose at this crisis, it will begin to cost you in your wallet.

YOU CAN DO THIS!
So, despite the recent rain, we all must do our part to conserve water.  The state says we must save 20%... that's doable.   My sweet and very patient wife and I decided to replace our 1,500 square feet of lawn with a water-wise landscape plan, which we just completed.  Yeah, OK, we added a porch, too, which took too long for us to take advantage of the rebates from the water district on replacing turf with other plantings - but YOU CAN! Read about that program HERE. This is what it looks like now.  A year from now - maybe sooner, depending on how those drought-tolerant plants respond to the loving we're giving them - it will look very different after those plants fill in.

THE OLD YARD

THE NEW YARD (WITH PORCH)

Mesa Water District To Adopt Conservation Ordinance

THIRSTY?
Most of us who have not been in a coma for the past couple years are aware of the water crisis facing the residents of the State of California these days.  Multiple years of drought conditions have resulted in historically low levels in water reservoirs throughout California and in lakes along the Colorado River.  Farmers are being forced to abandon their crops, particularly in the Central Valley, which has been called "The Bread Basket Of The World" because of the huge amount of crops that are exported annually.  On less than 1% of the total farmland in the United States, the Central Valley produces 8% of the nation's agricultural output by value.  About one-sixth of the irrigated land in the United States is in the Central Valley.  More than 230 crops are grown in that region, including toatoes, almonds, grapes, cotton, apricots and asparagus.

GOVERNMENT RULES
Water authorities throughout the state are mandating conservation measures - driven by edicts coming out of Sacramento.  Some may consider those measures draconian, but the simple fact is that we just don't have enough water to conduct "business as usual".

WE'RE CLUELESS
We here in Costa Mesa have been insulated from most of the rhetoric because the organization that provides us with water, Mesa Water District, does a very good job of managing that precious resource.  We are told that we operate with 100% locally-accessed water from wells that dip into a couple deep aquifers below us, plus Mesa Water is on the leading edge of the technology required to re-use water.

MESA WATER ON THE JOB
However, tomorrow, the Board of Directors of Mesa Water will meet in the Board Room at district headquarters, 1965 Placentia Avenue,  beginning at 6:00 p.m. to discuss the adoption of Ordinance 26, The Water Conservation and Water Supply Emergency Program.   Click HERE to be taken to a page which introduces the program, provides a historical justification and includes the ordinance as proposed plus all the details about the various emergency levels and the requirements and penalties involved in each. (Note: It's a big file, so it might take a few seconds to load for you.)

A QUICK LOOK AT THE ORDINANCE
The following chart capsulizes the broad brush facts of this ordinance.  Click on the image for easier reading if necessary.  You will probably wish to go to the actual ordinance and attachments for greater detail on the facts.  Little things, like if you're building a home with a swimming pool, you may not be able to fill it under certain conditions.  And, penalties COULD include disconnection of your water supply, so wealthy scofflaws cannot escape the need to conserve just because they have a few bucks.

INTO ENEMY TERRITORY FOR YOU
I have never attended a Mesa Water Board meeting, but this may force me to change my mind and place myself in the presence of my former Facebook buddy, Director Jim Fisler, so I can gather information on this very important issue.  The item is near the end of the agenda, following their review of the budget, so this could run late into the evening, depending on the amount of public input/questions and whether the directors plan to tinker with the ordinance/rules much.  For more information contact Mesa Water at 949-631-1205

THANKS, JORDAN GRAHAM
By the way, a hat tip to Jordan Graham of the Orange County Register for the article he recently wrote on this issue, HERE.  To my knowledge we have not received proper noticing of this extremely important issue at our home, so Graham's piece was the alarm bell for us.