Practical Solutions to Create a Water-Wise Home. Water Conservation 101

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Kimberly Gardner
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1 Practical Solutions to Create a Water-Wise Home Water Conservation 101

2 Daily Acts Nonprofit organization established in 2002 Mission: To transform our communities through inspired action and education that builds leadership and local selfreliance Sustainability tours, workshops, presentations and events Partners include public agencies and municipalities, community organizations, schools and businesses

3 You must be the change you want to see in the world - Mahatma Gandhi

5 Water Conservation 101 Drought Overview Healdsburg Water Use Restrictions Our Watershed Residential Water Uses 9 R s of Water Wisdom City of Healdsburg resources and support

6 Drought Overview

9 City of Healdsburg Water Use Restrictions

10 City of Healdsburg Water Restrictions Emergency Regulations adopted by State Water Resources Control Board in May 2015 Regulation went into effect on June 1 st, 2015 and continues through February 2016 Requires City of Healdsburg to reduce water use by 24% as compared to water usage in 2013 Outdoor watering limited to two days per week Current average daily use is 118 gallons/per person/per day and goal for 2015 is 90 gallons

11 Our Watershed

12 Understanding our Watershed A watershed is the area of land where all of the water that is under it or drains off of it goes into the same place. Or as scientist geographer John Wesley Powell describes, a watershed is that area of land, a bounded hydrologic system, within which all living things are inextricably linked by their common water course and where, as humans settled, simple logic demanded that they become part of a community.

18 Our Watershed is Our Lifeboat!

19 The 8 R s of Water Wisdom

20 Typical residential water use Other, 0 Shower, 9% Leaks, 10% Dishwasher, 1% Bath, 1% Faucets, 7% Washing Machines, 12% Outdoor, 47% Toilets, 13%

21 1. Read

22 Read your water meter Get to know your water meter - Locating your meter - Reading your meter - Calculating water use - Monitoring water use - Checking for leaks

23 Read your water bill

24 2. Rethink

25 Rethink how you think about water Conservation isn t a sacrifice it s about needing less. Start at the head waters - Practice awareness & appreciation - Get educated, observe, interact, wonder why - Spend time in nature and get to know your watershed

26 3. Reduce

27 Reduce your water use Inside Be suds savvy! Take shorter showers, soap up & wash hair with the water off Fill er Up! Run full loads in clothes and dishwashers Turn off faucet while brushing teeth and save 10 gallons per day! Place bucket in shower and use to flush toilets. If it s yellow Outside Water in the early morning or evening (before 7am and after 8pm) Adjust sprinklers to eliminate overspray Irrigate efficiently using a drip system or hand water Plant native and low-water trees and plants Amend soil with compost and use mulch around plants

28 4. Repair

29 Repair leaks to avoid loss Water loss through 10-15% of residential water use comes from leaks or breaks! - A dripping faucet can waste 1,500 gallons/month - An irrigation leak can waste 10,000 gallons/month - A leaky toilet waste gallons/day Make Repairs!! Change washers Irrigation repairs

30 5. Replace

31 Replace the water guzzlers! Inside Faucet aerators, shower heads, your washing machine and old toilets Look into City incentive programs Outside Turn your lawn into lunch Add water-wise native and edible plants Replace sprinklers with drip irrigation

32 Replace water-thirsty turf

33 Replace turf and create water-wise gardens Robbins Park, Billington Lane & Dartmouth Way, Windsor

34 Replace turf and create water-wise gardens

35 6. Reuse

36 Reuse greywater As defined by 2009 California Plumbing Code..untreated wastewater that has not been contaminated by any toilet discharge, has not been affected by infectious, contaminated, or unhealthy bodily wastes, and does not present a threat from contamination by unhealthful processing, manufacturing, or operating wastes Chapter 16A California Plumbing Code 1602A.0 Definitions

37 Reuse greywater Use a bucket for shower warm-up water Use a bowl or pot in kitchen sink Assess your greywater opportunities: laundry machines, bathroom sinks, tubs and showers. Reusing greywater saves water and energy! Start with laundry to landscape, it does not require a permit

38 Reuse greywater Laundry drum (no permit) Laundry-to-Landscape (no permit) Branched Drain (permit required) Constructed wetlands (permit required) Pumped systems (permit required)

39 Laundry-to-Landscape

40 Laundry-to-Landscape

41 Laundry-to-Landscape

42 Laundry-to-Landscape

43 Laundry-to-Landscape

44 Greywater-friendly Soaps No Sodium or Boron! Recommended soaps include: - Oasis - ECOS - Biopac liquid detergent - Vaska - Soap alternatives like soap nuts and "wonder balls - Ozone laundry systems

45 7. Retain

46 Retain the rain

47 Retain the rain Assess your resource and retention opportunities Increase the living sponge Install a rain garden or swales Install a rain barrel or cistern Think: slow it, spread it, sink it and store it!

48 Retain the rain

51 Retain the rain Calculating rainfall volume from a given catchment surface in gallons: A x R x 7.5 gal/ft 3 = Total Rainwater (gal) A = Catchment area in square feet (length X width) R = Rainfall in feet = Rainfall in inches / 12 There are about 7.5 gallons per cubic foot You can collect 600 gallons of water per inch of rain falling on 1,000 square feet of catchment surface.

52 Retain the rain with compost & mulch

53 Retain the rain in rain tanks

54 Retain the rain in rain tanks

55 Retain the rain in rain barrels

56 Retain the rain in a rain garden

57 Retain the rain with swales

58 Retain the rain with swales

59 Retain the rain with swales

60 8. Resources

61 City of Healdsburg - Rebate Programs Indoor Toilets Clothes Washer Outdoor Lawn Conversion Irrigation Upgrade Greywater System

62 City of Healdsburg - Free Stuff! Dual spray swivel kitchen sink aerator Bubble spray bathroom aerator Bubble spray bathroom aerator Chrome showerhead Soap and soak shower valves Toilet leak detection dye tabs and displacement bag Educational water saving wheel Educational energy and water saving activity booklet for kids

63 City of Healdsburg - Audits Free Home Water Use Audit Reduced price Irrigation Audit

64 9. Relationships

65 Relationships (and Ripples!) What is your relationship to water? What is your relationship to your watershed? Who can you share your water wisdom with?

66 Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it s the only thing that ever has. - Margaret Mead

67 Upcoming Events Workshop: Laundry-to-Landscape Greywater Installation Saturday, August 1st 10am FREE (thanks to the City of Petaluma!) Private Residence (address provided with registration), Petaluma Talk: The Permaculture City by Toby Hemenway Thursday, August 6th 7pm FREE Lucchesi Center, Petaluma Workshop: Shower-to-Flowers Greywater Installation Saturday, August 22nd 10am FREE (thanks to the City of Petaluma!) Private Residence (address provided with registration), Petaluma Event: DIY Drought Solutions Saturday, August 29th 10am FREE (thanks to the City of Santa Rosa!) City Hall, 100 Santa Rosa Avenue, Santa Rosa

68 Thank You!

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Heritage Water Tanks Waterwise Rainwater Saving Guide Every drop of rain is precious in Australia. For years, the rural community have successfully been collecting runoff water from the roofs of their