Join the 20 Gallon Challenge
Rain is in the air. I know, I know, if you feel it coming soon and are also talking about it with your friends, you wouldn’t be alone in doing so. Indeed, it’s been quite awhile since we last had any rain whatsoever–not even a drop. It could be because Los Angeles averages only 14.8 inches of precipitation per year. By contrast, Baltimore MD receives 77.8 inches of precipitation per year. That’s a major difference!
Indeed, when the East Coast is expecting a major snowfall, everyone talks about it; people prepare for it. The weather is also creating a similar buzz here, because a large rain storm is headed our way.
However, even though rain is on its way, don’t forget Southern California is in its third year of a drought, and we’re mandated to ration every gallon of water we expend to ensure supply. People sometimes have a problem with conservation–especially as it applies to water.
This picture is of Lake Oroville, one of several reservoirs that are a major source of our water. It’s courtesy of the Santa Monica Water Crisis page.
It’s important to keep fact and figure in proper context– both in quality and quantity– because we’re dangerously close to not having the water we require for such a massive city like Los Angeles. Therefore, it’s important to recognize the basics. For example:
What’s 20 gallons of water?
- If you turn off the water while brushing your teeth, you can save about 2 gallons per minute.
- If you fix a leaky toilet, you can save 30-50 gallons per day per toilet.
- If you water your lawn your yard only before 8 a.m. to reduce evaporation and interference from wind, you can 20-25 gallons a day.
- If you use a broom instead of a hose to clean driveways and sidewalks, you can save 8-18 gallons per minute.
If everyone put more thought and effort toward water conservation, it would result in having more water available, especially when we don’t get a lot of rain. To help you use the above examples to save 20 gallons of water per day, you should definitely join the 20-Gallon Challenge.
Another public resource to help you save water is bewaterwise.com . Additionally, to take your water savings to the next level, SoCal Water Smart is offering rebates for qualifying purchases of water saving appliances.
As mentioned, even though it’s going to rain, our drought is far from over, so let’s save water today so we’ll have it for tomorrow.
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Before I add my two cents – a caveat: My working knowledge in Landscape Architecture is limited to my region in the Greater Philadelphia area. Conditions are certainly different elsewhere, but the concepts I speak of can be applied anywhere.
Water conservation is, believe it or not, a lot of what we as Landscape Architects are striving to do. The big buzz word in the industry right now is “Sustainability” – the idea that man-made construction (Landscapes, Buildings and otherwise) should have a minimal impact to the envrionment. In the Landscape World, this means the use of native plant material. Why? Because it’s indigenous to the environment and requires less maintenance – irrigation, especially. Here’s a little known fact: Droughts are natural occurences. Average Rainfall is based on a very long period of time…some of those years might be overly wet, other times it might be dry. We of course have impacted the environment negatively to create more drought conditions. But we have also made ourselves more affected by drought because we have not carried out sustainable design for the full extent of human existence. We need to change that.
We Americans are especially guilty of cross-pollination of our ideals. Our nation is so large and so vast that many outside the profession aren’t fully aware of sustainability in the Landscape. Even people with great intentions suffer from proper education. A few examples:
1) Native Plants are assessed by your geographic, geologic and heartiness regions. A ‘Live Oak’ is native to the United States, but it is not native to the Philadelphia Region. The phrase “Think Locally” should also be applied to your thinking.
2) The favorite turf grass of the US is Kentucky Bluegrass for it’s aesthetic appearence. In the northeast, it is specified for nearly 7/10ths of all lawns. Yet it is not indiginous – it requires irrigation during the summer. If we stuck with native grasses (again, native to our region), we could completely eliminate the need for irrigation. How much water would that save? 30 Gallons Per Minute. To irrigate a one-acre lawn, you’re talking about 40 minutes in all: 1200 gallons of water. That affects your water bill too – so if you don’t do it for the environment, do it for your wallet.
3) Did you know that unless steep slopes are present, new trees should NOT be staked? Why? Because a tree’s growth is a response mechanism to its environment. The swaying of a tree in the wind tells it to grow a wider base. Wet conditions do the same. Staking prevents the tree from discovering structural implications of it’s new envrionment leading to tree stress or failure. Stressed trees aren’t as effective at cooling the envrionment. They aren’t as efficient with water consumption. And they surely aren’t helping with the atmospheric conditioning.
I could go on…but I think you get the idea.
D. Travis North´s last blog ..Is A Larger RAW File Better? (via JMG Galleries)
[Reply]
LisaNewton Reply:
October 14th, 2009 at 7:31 pm
@D. Travis North, Thanks for the great information, Travis. The idea of different grasses hit home the first time I visited LA. I was used to the Kentucky Bluegrass of the East Coast. Some houses here have that, but more often, it’s a very short and dense variety, of which I have no idea what the name is. To me, it looked like artificial turf.
I’m not sure LA has any “native” grasses, due to the lack of rain. However, it does have native plants, that in my opinion, aren’t used frequently enough in most landscaping projects. Everyone wants the green lawn, which without year round irrigation, isn’t possible here.
A few people here take it to the next level and cover their “lawns” with concrete or blacktop. It’s very strange the first time you see it.
Speaking of Oaks, I love LA’s palm trees. There are so many varieties, some native, some not, but most can live with the climate here. I’m always amazed to see the different varieties.
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Another quick thought…mowing of lawns. Many people cut their law really short. Did you know that in doing so, your lawn is wasting lots of energy trying to regrow? That’s water consumption as well. Raise the beds of your mower to the 3-4″ range and your lawn will have time to grow efficient root systems and be more efficient with water consumption.
D. Travis North´s last blog ..Is A Larger RAW File Better? (via JMG Galleries)
[Reply]
LisaNewton Reply:
October 14th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
@D. Travis North, hehe, I knew that. When I lived on the East Coast, I always cut my grass to the taller height. I hate to see grass cut too short.
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