I believe sprinklers are being used a lot less in the Conejo Valley, compared to a year ago, if my Oak Park neighborhood is any indication.
Here we are this morning after receiving rain last night, and on my morning walk (which was so invigorating, with the smell of rained-on earth), I only passed the sprinklers going at one home. In Oak Park, as I assume in other Conejo Valley communities, the water district asks that homeowners not irrigate within 24 hours of rain. That can be hard to catch when folks have a programmed irrigating schedule, but, depending on the district, a fine could be charged for doing so.
In Oak Park, the usage numbers back up a change in using the sprinklers too, with an almost 15% drop in water use since the first of July. As a board member of Triunfo Sanitation District which owns Oak Park Water Service, I am very pleased that this has happened with information and classes for residents…not with fines.
I am keeping my fingers crossed that all of us in the Conejo can continue using water sparingly as the weather warms up, to avoid fines that our supplier, Metropolitan Water District will levy against any local district that does not meet their mandatory cutback through the end of June.
Posted by Janna Orkney
eco-nerd // Apr 2, 2010 at 8:00 PM
I believe that OP’s 15% drop in water rates is most likely related to the humungus bill that people got when the billing cycle was changed along with rates that are now up almost 50%.
You can preach water saving ’till the cows come home but hit ‘em in the pocketbook and you will see results.
I have noticed more drought tolerant landscapes but just as many brown lawns or just plain dirt.