Learn About 'Harvesting' Rain Water

With all the rain we've had over the past week, the topic of "harvesting" or "saving" rainwater to use for irrigation in the spring and summer comes up.

While our local climate is not ideally suited to the idea, the experts will be in the Bay Area this month to discuss the topic and show you how to save rainwater for use when it's not so wet.

The classes are held by the "American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association" and you'll learn about systems that you can buy, or build.

Look here for more information.



What About Those Storms?

The recent wave of storms state-wide has brought much needed rain and snow as is normal for January, but three years of continued dry conditions have left the state’s reservoirs at a huge deficit.

2009 was the third consecutive year of drought conditions in California and water supply in reservoirs remain below normal at this point.

We are only at the half-way point of the rain/snow season, we do not know what the rest of the season will provide and we need continued, well-above-normal storms to build up the snow pack and provide run-off to reservoirs.





Free Tours of CCWD Facilities

The Contra Costa Water District has a free program that allows customers to tour its water facilities.

The bus tours are educational outings for adults that include visits to a water treatment plant, an intake facility, the Los Vaqueros Reservoir and watershed.

The dates for the spring tours are April 16 and May 14. We will also have tours in the fall, so you can be placed on a waiting list.

CCWD customers over the age of 18 are invited to sign up for this tour of District facilities to learn about water quality issues and how CCWD diverts water from the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta, stores it in the Los Vaqueros Reservoir, and conveys it in the Contra Costa Canal to a treatment plant in the service area.

The tours depart from the Concord District Center (1331 Concord Ave., Concord).

Sign-ups are on a first-come, first-served basis.

There is no cost for CCWD customers but you must be over age 18 and sign-up individually. No group bookings, please. Lunch is included.

To sign-up send us an e-mail, and be sure to mention the tour or call (925) 688-8175

You Should Keep Saving Water In The Winter

Even though we've been seen plenty of rain and snow this fall, CCWD's Drought Management Plan is still in place.

You need to continue to save water and remain below your water budget to avoid excess use charges.

Though the start of the rain season has been good, there is still a long way to go in the season. If the rain and snow in the Sierra stops or tapers off, we would be facing continuing drought conditions. So far, so good.

If you like sports analogies: "We're only in the First Quarter, anything thing can happen in the next three," or "It's still the first inning," or "We may be in the lead by the first pit stop, but we haven't won the race."

You get the picture, we'll keep you updated.

Five Ways To Save Water In The Winter:

1. Insulate your water pipes. Insulation saves water two ways, it will take less time to heat water in the house and also avoids water loss and expensive repairs if the pipes burst in freezing temperatures. Insulation helps save water all year long.

2. Plan your spring planting with our new gardening information site. Our site is geared to Contra Costa weather and soil conditions, and is a concise and fun way to pick plants for your water-tolerant garden. There are pictures, examples of drought-tolerant yards and more.

3. Continue to take a short shower, pick up one of our free timers to remind you to the showers short. We also have free water saving shower heads. You can get them both at our CCWD Main Office at 1331 Concord Ave. in Concord.

4. Remove your lawn and replace it with drought-tolerant plants. We'll pay you up to $500 to do it. You need to follow all the steps to qualify for the money.

5. Double-check to make sure your sprinklers are off. Since most timers are set to water in the early morning, you may not know if yours are running.
CCWD Customers Continue To Save Water

The statistics aren't changing much, and that's good. CCWD customers are continuing to save water. Between May 1 and Nov. 30, customers have saved 20 percent when compared to the historic average of the years 2005, 06 and 07.

That remains impressive, and customers are saving more than the goal of 15 percent.

New Gardening Website Filled with Information on Drought -Tolerant Plants

Looking for ideas for drought-tolerant plants? Take a look at our new “Gardening in Contra Costa County” website.

It’s designed for Contra Costa weather and soil conditions. It features all kinds of information and photos that will help you select beautiful plants that don’t need a lot of water.

The site is easy to navigate.

There are photos of many types of drought-tolerant yards. Click on a plant, and it will show you all kinds of information on it. You can create a custom plant list that you can print and take to your nursery.

Turn Off Your Sprinklers

Wet weather is predicted for most of next week. We're please to see the rain and snow, but it frustrates us to see sprinklers on when it's raining.

It's a waste.

So double check to make sure the sprinklers are off at your home or office.

CCWD Will Pay Up To $500 To Remove Your Lawn

CCWD has launched a new program that will pay you an incentive of up to $500 to remove the front lawn of your home and replace the grass with drought-tolerant plants or even selected types of artificial lawn.

The District’s Pilot Water-Efficient Landscape Rebate Program provides an incentive to property owners to replace high-water use lawns with low-water use landscape plants and
shrubs.

The program offers customers fifty cents per square foot to replace eligible lawn areas with water-efficient landscaping using plants and shrubs with low water requirements.

It is open to residential and non-residential customers who receive treated water in the CCWD retail and wholesale service areas.

CCWD will rebate residential customers up to $500 (one thousand square feet of lawn removed).

Non-residential customers can receive up to $5,000 (ten thousand square feet of lawn removed).

You need to follow all the steps to qualify for the money. Look here for more information.

December Water Saving Tips

During December there are a number of things to do to keep your garden looking good while saving water.

* Rake up fallen leaves and put them in your compost pile. Never use a blower to clean out shrub beds as it can blow out mulch and topsoil and expose plant roots.

* Turn off the watering system completely. Only water manually if we don’t receive rain for two to three weeks. Remember, some lawns will go partially dormant and turn brown in the winter if we have a cold spell. They don’t need irrigation. They will bounce back in spring when the weather warms up.

* Don’t mow lawns when they are wet. This will cause soil compaction and hurt the quality of the lawn. Wait until the grass is dry even if it takes an extra week or so.

Looking For Water Saving Plant Ideas?

Stop by our nearly one-acre Demonstration Garden at CCWD’s District Center office at 1331 Concord Ave. in Concord.

The garden has more than 50 types of drought-tolerant plants ranging from sea lavender to the California fuchsia. We also have trees such as the desert willow and pomegranate.

The garden was originally planted in 1991 to replace a large water-drinking lawn. It was refurbished this year with more plants and a modern irrigation system.

It is one of 78 Demonstration Gardens in California recognized by the Water Education Foundation, The Bureau of Reclamation and the California Urban Water Conservation Council.

The garden now uses one-third of the water that the old lawn consumed….and we never have to mow it!

CCWD Water Customers Have Saved 20 Percent Since May 1

CCWD customers continue to save even more water, and their savings now totals 20 percent between May 1 and Oct. 31.

This remains a remarkable result, and well above our original goal of 15 percent. Since the Drought Management Program began in May, our customers have consistently been at or above the goal.

The savings are compared to average water used in the years 2005, '06 and '07.

Of course, the drought is far from over. As fall ends and winter arrives, we're losing potential rainy days. It will take more than average rain and snowfall in California to get us out of drought conditions.

In November, with its shorter days, we advise that you water your lawn only once a week, and your trees and shrubs don't need any watering at all.


Customers Recognized For Saving Water

CCWD's Board of Directors recognized two of its customers for saving water in October.

The City of Pleasant Hill was honored for proactively managing 65 landscape irrigation accounts and reducing consumption by more than 50 percent, saving at least 4.5 million gallons since May 2009.

The Dana Hills Homeowners’ Association in Clayton was also honored for continuing its active management of its landscape and saving more than 1.5 million gallons since May 2009 compared to its historical use.

Car Wash and Mulch Coupons End Nov 1.

CCWD's popular car wash and mulch discount coupon programs end on Sunday, Nov. 1

The coupons are designed to promote water savings. The car wash program coupons apply only to 11 local car washes that recycle water. So with the expected sunny weather this weekend, go out and wash your car, and save a little money.

With the mulch program,local nurseries and garden centers are giving discounts of all kinds on purchasing mulch. Mulch will help you save water in your yard, and will also cut down on weeding.

So get out there and mulch!

Don't Forget To Cut Back Your Sprinkler Timers

With shorter days, and thankfully some rainy weather , don't forget to reduce the days of your automatic sprinkler timers.

In October, we recommend watering your lawn only twice a week, and your trees only once a week.

Replace Your Timer's Backup Battery With The Time Change

Most people replace their smoke alarm batteries when the time changes each spring and fall. Don't forget to replace your sprinkler timer's backup battery as well.

In some digital models, if the power goes out and the backup battery is dead, when power it restored the timer will revert to a default mode. So instead of having a finely-tuned water-saving irrigation system, you'll probably have one that wastes water, and you may not even know it.

Turn Down Your Sprinkler Timers!

There's little doubt that fall has finally arrived in Contra Costa, with shorter days and cool brisk mornings and evenings.

This is a great -- and really easy -- opportunity to save a lot of water, by turning down your sprinkler timers.

CCWD's Conservation staff recommends that during October you need to water the lawn only twice a week, and the shrubs only once a week.

Many people forget to change their sprinkler timer schedules. With the shorter and cooler days, you just don't need so much water.

District Honors Water Savers

The Contra Costa Water District Board of Directors honored four of its customers in October for saving water.

Board President Joseph L. Campbell said CCWD customers have been saving water, "and we thought we'd recognize some people who are doing it well."

Concord Mayor Laura Hoffmeister, Concord's Director of Public Works Alex Pascual and Public Works Horticulture Advisor Scott Vasquez represented the city at the ceremony. The city began to plan early for the potential of the drought, used CCWD rebates to upgrade central irrigation controls and has saved more than 9.7 million gallons of water during the summer months of July and August. Mayor Hoffmeister said the city's water-saving efforts have "gone much smoother than we expected," and lauded the city staff's efforts to find creative solutions to the problems presented by having less water available.

Roy and Rosadelia Detwiler of Concord were recognized for their water saving efforts in their landscaping at their home. They have converted both their front and back yards into beautiful drought-tolerant landscapes. They reduced their water use by more than 30 percent and are saving an average of 160 gallons of water per day. They have been featured on the television program 'Water Matters' and their house is also a stop on the "Bringing Back the Natives" garden tour that CCWD sponsors. You can see the Water Matters segment on their home here.

The David Deutscher Company in Pleasant Hill was honored for a project in which it has removed more than a third of an acre of turf grass and updated its existing sprinkler system with a modern drip system. The company expects to cut 50 percent of its water use with the changes.

Also honored were James and Stacey Morikawa of Concord who have been featured on a CCWD web video for saving more than 1,600 gallons of water per day following a CCWD Home Water Use Survey. You can see a video on their story here.


Mulch and Car Wash Coupons Good Only Through Nov. 1

Don’t forget to use our Mulch and Car Wash coupons before their Nov. 1 experation date. We can save you money when buying mulch at 30 local nurseries, which saves water in the garden and at local car washes that recycle their water.

ow Pay Your Water Bill With A Credit Card Online

You can now pay your Contra Costa Water District bill online with a credit card.

It's an easy and fast way to pay your water bill. Take a look here.

You will need you account number to complete the transaction.