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Alden Lane along with other valley garden retailers attended and spoke at the October meeting of the Alameda County Flood Control and Water Conservation District Zone 7. We asked for a clarification of the Districts outdoor residential irrigation rationing plan as we understood no watering would be allowed from December through March.
We were pleased to learn there is more flexibility. We will be able to focus needed water to maintain existing trees and shrubs, establish newly planted drought tolerant landscapes, and protect plants from freezing temperatures. The rationing plan relates to automatic irrigation not hand watering with a shut off. We will continue to work with the district to identify mutually beneficial methods of water conservation and plant preservation.
That said each city within the District has different rules.
Below is the clarification by Zone 7 Water District's General Manager, Jill Duerig.
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Dear Ms. Williams-Courtrėght:
Thank you for your continued interest in water issues, both as a former Zone 7 Board Member and in requesting clarification of Zone 7's water conservation mandates during this current drought emergency. The ongoing efforts of nurseries like yours to encourage drought-tolerant plantings and effective irrigation management are to be commended and we appreciate the partnership that you bring to furthering overall, long-term water-use efficiency.
Let me start by saying that the "no watering" requirement for the December through March period relates to automated sprinkler systems. Given that this time frame is traditionally the rainy period and that many plants are relatively dormant, we are telling people to turn off their automated sprinkler systems.
There is no prohibition on hand watering (as long as any hoses use automatic shutoff nozzles), use of recycled water or captured rain or sink/shower water. Note that both the City of Livermore and the Dublin San Ramon Services District are making recycled water available for pick-up at their respective wastewater treatment plants.
In implementing these actions, Zone 7 is following procedures established in our 2010 Urban Water Management Plan. We applaud the Valley residents for their success in achieving the required 25% reduction in overall Water use for 2014. Unfortunately, the new Water year does not appear to hold much promise of above-average precipitation. At this time, we anticipate that the November snowpack report from the State will be bleak and therefore the preliminary water allocation will be, if not zero percent, then very low. If another low allocation of imported water is received from the State Water Project (which is highly probable based on current water levels in Lake Oroville and projected low precipitation this winter), the Zone 7 board is likely to request continuing conservation for next summer at its April 2015 meeting.
Thank you for your ongoing interest in the community, the water supply and local landscaping investments. We look forward to continuing to work together to achieve wise water use both during this drought emergency and on into the future.
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