Water Conservation Efforts in the Basin
Great strides have been made in water conservation on the basin in the past few years. The urban areas of Paso Robles, Atascadero and Templeton have implemented very effective water conservation programs including tiered water rates, plumbing retrofits, conservation subsidies and conservation messaging.
The agricultural pumping sector has also seen greater efficiencies in water use. Vineyards for example have reduced water use per acre by as much as 50% over the past ten years.
Now, with the urban and agricultural pumping sectors already engaged in water conservation and water efficiency, it’s the turn of the rural residential sector to conserve water.
Water Conservation for the Rural Residential Sector
Water conservation in a rural setting can be divided into indoor and outdoor water conservation. Indoor conservation is similar to other areas of the county. It’s easy to identify the water-using plumbing fixtures and appliances in your house and see if you’re using that water efficiently. Consider the following recommendations.
Indoor Water Conservation Recommendations
- High Efficiency Toilets (1.28 gallons per flush or less)
- 1.5 gallon per minute showerheads
- Front loading washing machines
- High efficiency dishwashers
- Instant hot water or hot water circulation system
Looking for a new toilet? Get a high efficiency toilet that uses 1.28 gallons per flush (gpf) or less and save at least 20% per flush over the standard 1.6 gpf toilet. Worried that the new 1.28 gpf model won’t do the job? Check out the independent performance testing that was done on hundreds of toilets! Look up the brand and model you’re interested in or find the most efficient and best-flushing toilets on the market. Share this website with your friends, neighbors and family. Don’t shop for another toilet without it!
Outdoor Water Conservation
Outdoor water conservation focuses on landscaping and other irrigation needs. Consider using the following outdoor water conservation measures and devices:
- Low water-using landscapes or drought-tolerant plants
- No or very limited areas of turf
- Smart irrigation controllers
- Grey water for outside irrigation
- Cisterns/rainwater catchments
- Low Impact Development (LID) techniques and measures to increase groundwater recharge
- Landscape maintenance (e.g., using mulch)
You can save water by following these common-sense outdoor irrigation tips:
- Water your landscape no more than 3 times per week according to the schedule for your area.
- Irrigate in the early morning hours to reduce evaporation losses and overspray.
- Limit irrigation run times to 12 minutes or less.
- On steep slopes, use multiple, shorter run times to eliminate runoff.
- Adjust irrigation to eliminate watering sidewalks and driveways.
- Check your system regularly for broken heads, emitters and drip lines.
- Irrigate only when your lawn and plants need water.
- Always use a shutoff valve or timer when hand watering with a hose.
- Use a broom instead of a hose to clean sidewalks and driveways.
- Convert lawn to Waterwise Mediterranean landscape on drip irrigation
Here are some more detailed outdoor water conservation recommendations from the California Department of Water Resources:
Plant choice in the north county environment is important. Visit a nursery such as Las Pilitas Nursery on Las Pilitas Road outside of Santa Margarita for help selecting native plants that will do well in North County and will save water.
Go Native!
After reviewing the GardenSoft.com web site and choosing the native plants that are right for your area and yard, remember to visit the many excellent sources for native plants in the county. Also, following are examples of web sites with more information:*
Metering Your Water Well
If you are embarking on a water conservation program, it’s important to have a starting point from which to measure your progress. A flow meter is often used to record water use. If you do not currently meter the amount of water produced from your well, please seriously consider installing such a meter. Here are examples of some businesses that deal with this device:*
- Ferguson Plumbing
4546 Broad, San Luis Obispo 594-5380
1605 Riverside, Paso Robles 239-8501
- Streator Pipe and Supply
8820 El Camino Real, Atascadero 466-0885
- Farm Supply
San Luis Obispo Pump Division
224 Tank Farm Road, SLO 543-4355
* For informational purposes only. This does not constitute an endorsement of any business or businesses by the County of San Luis Obispo.
Water Conservation Website Links
Please take a few minutes to respond to the survey on water use and water conservation. It will help us develop a water conservation program for the rural area.
With groundwater levels dropping in the basin, many people are already practicing water conservation on their own properties. Share your ways of conserving water here and we’ll share your story on this web site.