California Water Restrictions: Ewing Offers Solutions to Conserve Water

On April 1, Gov. Jerry Brown ordered mandatory statewide water restrictions as California faces another year of severe drought. California residents will now be required to reduce potable urban water use by 25%, and new homes and buildings must use drip or microspray irrigation, in addition to other restrictions.

While California isn’t the only state currently facing a drought, they are doing everything possible to attempt to come back from the extreme conditions they are facing. These mandatory restrictions are the first of their kind, and millions of residents are now encouraged to become more water efficient.

Some of the restrictions include:

• Reduce potable urban water use by 25% over the next year, compared to 2013 usage.
• Commercial and institutional properties, such as cemeteries, campuses and golf courses, must achieve a 25% water use reduction.
• No irrigation on new homes and developments with potable water, except when using drip or microspray irrigation.
• Prohibition of irrigation of ornamental turf on public street medians with potable water.
• Replace 50 million square feet of turf with drought tolerant landscapes.
• An appliance rebate program for replacing inefficient household devices.
• Watering lawns within 48 hours after measurable rainfall will be banned.
• Lawn watering will be limited to two days a week for water districts that don't yet have limits in place.

For the full list of restrictions, see Gov. Brown’s executive order.

Ewing can help you keep your landscapes looking great, even with these new restrictions. Here are a few products and tools to help you conserve water and keep in line with the new restrictions California is facing:

1. AquaSmart PRO

AquaSmart PRO is an absorbent polymer-coated sand that helps your soil retain more moisture and nutrients, so you can water less frequently and still maintain healthy plants.

2. Landscape Products® Drip Irrigation

With increased legislation, local landscape irrigation restrictions and persistent droughts, drip irrigation is a water-efficient solution for irrigating more plants with less water. Because drip applies water directly to the plant’s root zone, it is not affected by wind and evaporation.

3. Smart Controllers

Smart controllers utilize either evapotranspiration (ET) or soil moisture sensing data inputs to run irrigation cycles only when needed. These controllers can ensure you aren’t watering when it’s not needed, like in the days after it rains.

4. Ewing’s Smart Irrigation Tools

Ewing offers a FREE site inspection checklist and smart solutions form to help you determine and select smart irrigation solutions for your clients. These tools might offer a way to open dialogue about water savings with your clients, especially with the recent restrictions they will soon be facing.

The Water Smart Site Checklist form includes discussing water concerns with the property owner and checking out the existing controller, valves, sprinklers and zones.

Use the Smart Irrigation Solutions form after a site visit to give the property owner more specific recommendations, such as products, services and repairs, cost estimates and estimated water savings. The Potential Water Savings included on the form are general estimates—you can change those to the estimated water savings you expect based on the site conditions.

Find your nearest Ewing location, and stop by to learn about water conservation solutions.