It is time to up our commitment to water conservation and starting June 1st, 2022, new water restrictions will begin. The latest Drought Data has not only shown worsening conditions, it also shows that Californians have been lax in saving water the last couple of years, despite the threat of more intense drought conditions throughout California.
Los Angeles City
In Southern California, Los Angeles City areas have new restrictions for watering your landscape to no more than two days a week, and which days are determined by your street address. Also there is no watering between 9am-4pm. Watering is limited to a maximum of 15 minutes.
Different counties and metropolitan areas can implement more strict or lenient restrictions, depending on the data for their area.
Santa Clarita Valley
In Santa Clarita, the SCV Water’s Board of Directors voted Tuesday to move the Agency into Stage 2 of its Water Shortage Contingency Plan. The move comes as California and the Santa Clarita Valley continue to face a severe drought with no end in sight.
"Despite planning for dry times, this drought has become so severe that we are having to dip into our banked water supplies," said SCV Water’s General Manager Matt Stone.
“Moving to Stage 2 will place new water restrictions in place to eliminate water waste and ensure we have enough water to meet the needs of our community.”
Santa Clarita Valley Stage 2 includes stage 1 and asks for consumers to voluntarily save at least 20% more:
Make sure to check with your local area to know what's allowed. Smart meters can really help make watering at certain times easy. Check out Smart Landscaping to see how!
Do you need to redo your sprinkler system? We can help! Contact us today!
Updated: May 3, 2022
There simply isn't enough water to meet the demands of our state, leading to a water shortage emergency declared by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Tuesday, April 26th, 2022. In response, it is implementing a program that will restrict outdoor watering to one day a week in parts of Los Angeles, Ventura and San Bernardino counties.
The latest data collected has shown that Californians have actually been using more water instead of less, over the last two years, despite worsening drought conditions. In addition, according to Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, January, February and March which are usually our wettest months, were the driest on record.
Affecting about 6 million people in Southern California, the latest measures will begin June 1st, 2022. The hope is that this will reduce water usage by 20-30%. If this is not effective enough, outdoor watering might be eliminated completely by September 1st, according to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
Here are some informative ways to help conserve water in your garden:
Here are some articles that can help make a difference in your water usage:
Looking to make changes to your residential or commercial landscape? We can help! Contact us today!
Drought conditions in California are forcing property owners to come up with solutions for landscaping that are not only drought-tolerant but also attractive. Designing a balanced garden requires a combination of softscapes and hardscapes. The term softscape refers to living vegetation, and the term hardscape refers to the non-living elements, like pathways and patios.
There are many low-water plants, trees and ground covers that can be used for softscape areas. These should be chosen for the climate. Combining softscapes with hardscape elements like pathways, ponds, patios and areas of functional space can make your garden an extension of your living space. Using softscape in combination with useful hardscape elements is a creative solution that can produce a beautiful and interesting garden and also save valuable water and money.
There are many choices of drought tolerant plants for softscaping that can thrive in Southern California. Mediterranean varieties as well as native plants are among the best suited for our climate. Lavender, thyme and oregano are plants that add beauty and fragrance to a garden and require very little water. Yarrow and California poppy are native plants that also have lower water requirements. Bougainvillea can provide a lovely infusion of color and height on a trellis. Milkweed is a wonderful native plant that helps Monarch butterflies.
There are many ornamental grasses like sheep fescue and deergrass, that provide texture and color and can be a great substitute for lawns. Some examples of perennials that have lower water requirements are: mallow, lamb’s ears, catmint, coyote mint, California fuschia and penstemons, to name just a few. Succulents are another good choice for Southern California!
While softscape plants should be chosen to fit the California climate, hardscaping ideas are practically limitless. Rock walls, patios, paths, and boulders are some design elements that can be used. Paths that wander through your garden are inviting and a wonderful way to create depth perception.
Pathways can be made of flagstone, concrete, pea gravel, brick, bark, or cobblestone to name a few. Raised planters and divisions can add interest and bring beauty to your design. Adding a water feature with a recirculating pump, like a pond or a birdbath, attracts wildlife and brings tranquility. A garden bench, swing, and patio furniture invites you to relax in your garden. In addition, decks and gazebos are wonderful design elements that can extend your living space into your landscape.
Our professional team at Pacific Vista Landscape Services are experts creating softscape and hardscape combinations. We can help design, build, and plant your perfect waterwise garden oasis!
