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Sacramento kept sprinklers off, saw savings soar

Area residents cut water use 22% in dry November

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED JAN 4, 2022

Lawn irrigation and other water uses were reduced

by Sacramento-area residents 22% in November.

(Photo: Kathy Morrison)

Good job, Sacramento-area water savers!

After crunching the numbers, Sacramento’s water watchers reported more huge savings by Sacramento-area residents. Apparently, October’s heavy rainfall carried over to water savings in November, which was unusually dry.

According to the Regional Water Authority, which represents 20 local water providers, Sacramento-area water use was down 22% in November compared to November 2020. That’s triple the statewide average, which saw overall California water use down 6.8% in November compared to a year earlier.

Sacramento’s savings are on top of a 13% drop in regional water use since the last drought.

Paired with a wet December, those savings put Sacramento-area residents in a good place, water-wise. But we could still do more.

“We’re asking everyone to keep up the great work by turning sprinklers off during rain and fixing household leaks,” said Amy Talbot, RWA’s water efficiency program manager. “We know through research that it’s easy for people to ignore those annoying little faucet and shower drips. But it’s important to remember that all of those little drips can quickly add up and that fixing leaks is often easier than you think.”

A leaky or running toilet is the most common household leak, Talbot said. Such leaks can waste 200 gallons a day. Following toilets are dripping faucets and shower heads.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 10% of homes have leaks that can waste 90 gallons or more per day, she added. That’s enough to fill 1,440 glasses of water – each day! In one week, it’s enough water to irrigate 126 full-size tomato plants.

Water providers offer several ways to help local residents including rebates and water-wise house calls to search for potential leaks and savings. Upgrade your irrigation system with rebates, too.

Find water-wise tips, rebate information and how-to videos at BeWaterSmart.info .

In related news, the State Water Resources Control Board just Tuesday adopted drought rules outlawing water wasting, including overwatering lawns or hosing down sidewalks. Fines up to $500 are possible. See the Bee's story here.

Gov. Gavin Newsom had set a goal of a 15% reduction, which the Sacramento area met and surpassed. The statewide total for November, as the Bee's Dale Kasler reports, was just 6.8%; Southern California actually increased water consumption by 0.8%.

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Keywords:

wet weather gardening Sacramento drought water conservation overwatering. water waste Regional Water Authority rainfall State Water Resources Board

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Garden Checklist for week of July 21

Your garden needs you!

* Keep your vegetable garden watered, mulched and weeded. Water before 8 a.m. to reduce the chance of fungal infection and to conserve moisture.

* Feed vegetable plants bone meal, rock phosphate or other fertilizers high in phosphate to stimulate more blooms and fruiting. (But wait until daily high temperatures drop out of the 100s.)

* Don’t let tomatoes wilt or dry out completely. Give tomatoes a deep watering two to three times a week.

* Harvest vegetables promptly to encourage plants to produce more. Squash especially tends to grow rapidly in hot weather. Keep an eye on zucchini.

* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushy plants and more flowers in September.

* Remove spent flowers from roses, daylilies and other bloomers as they finish flowering.

* Pinch off blooms from basil so the plant will grow more leaves.

* Cut back lavender after flowering to promote a second bloom.

* It's not too late to add a splash of color. Plant petunias, snapdragons, zinnias and marigolds.

* From seed, plant corn, pumpkins, radishes, winter squash and sunflowers.

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