California is in the midst of a terrible four-year drought. The state recently implemented unprecedented water restrictions that aim to reduce water use in urban areas by 25 percent, the first time California has ever set mandatory water reductions. It only takes one look at Lake Tahoe or the Truckee River to realize how much less water the state has. Still, I see sprinklers watering lawns every morning at 7 a.m. and people washing their cars despite the free car washes courtesy of the recent abundant spring rains.
Thankfully, some residents and businesses are doing their best to reduce their water consumption by making great efforts to use less water daily.
HOFFMAN PLUMBING INC.
It’s early at Hoffman Plumbing’s Homewood office, and Jonas Hoffman is already taking an 8 a.m. phone call. The family business, which Jonas’ father Dennis started in 1986, is staying busy throughout the drought. “It’s actually creating more business,” said Jonas, “because people are concerned about water and are more aware of leaks.”
In order to save water, plumbers must use water. “It’s unfortunate that we have to waste water to test lines, toilets, and things, but there’s nothing we can do about that,” said Jonas’ brother Cody. “Testing requires water, but leaky pipes waste so much more. In the long run we’re saving by installing low water usage toilets, restrictors on shower heads, hot water circulation pumps that reduce wait time, and other water saving devices.”
In order to educate customers on how to save water, the Hoffmans provide handouts with useful tips like, “Permanent cleaning agents in toilet tanks cause the flapper to degrade and leak.” At the bottom there’s a reminder that, “If every Californian saves 1 gallon/day, we’d save 38 million gallons each day.”
“Plumbers should be at the forefront of water conservation,” said Jonas. “When I find an active leak I definitely tell customers it needs to be addressed.”
Tahoe is riddled with old pipes and leaky tanks, so the Hoffmans have their work cut out for them. Their advice is to fix leaks, take shorter showers, and be smart about outside irrigation, which makes up a large part of household water use.
TAHOE MOUNTAIN CLUB
Tahoe Mountain Club’s two golf courses, Old Greenwood and Gray’s Crossing, which opened in 2004 and 2007 respectively, were both designed with water conservation in mind. Over the years, they’ve cut irrigation to only greens, the rough, tees, and fairways, using water from their non-potable well that pulls from an onsite aquifer. “We are extremely aware of our water usage and how precious it is because our livelihood depends on it,” said Jason DeHerrera, the director of agronomy for Tahoe Mountain Club’s golf courses.
By focusing on healthy soil, DeHerrera is able to save water and still maintain pristine courses. Non-toxic wetting agents that change the soil’s chemical attraction to water allows the soil underneath to absorb much more efficiently by pulling moisture to the root zone instead of letting it evaporate on the grassy surface. Onsite weather stations and soil probes help determine how much precipitation is required through nightly irrigation.
“Our program is big on organic-based fertilizers, which might not be doing a lot for the top of grass, but it’s doing a lot for the soil,” DeHerrera said.
Additionally, Tahoe Mountain Club has installed low flow toilets, faucets, and drinking fountains. Golf carts are cleaned with compressed air, and grass and irrigation between holes were replaced with natural landscape, reducing water usage by 25 percent. Some equipment, however, does require washing so Tahoe Mountain Club has an onsite drainage system that sifts out solids and reuses the same water to wash equipment again. Course drainage and rainfall seeps back into the aquifer, further recycling the water. Tahoe Mountain Club said it will never pull from the Truckee or Yuba rivers or use the Town of Truckee’s potable water.
When people see lush green grass, it’s hard to understand the benefit of having a course in town, even though these two golf courses can attract up to 200 golfers a day, which spills over into the larger economy. “We’re an easy target,” DeHerrera said. “But we’re used to it. We’re also aware of our beautiful surroundings, and we’re doing our part.”
MOUNTAIN BOUNTY FARM
Many Tahoe/Truckee locals know Mountain Bounty Farm from its CSA boxes. The organic farm, which sits on 16 acres in Nevada City, is trying to do its part to reduce water usage. The farm gets its water from a nearby well and reservoir, which have both diminished over these past two years.
“Farming takes water, it’s a built-in reality,” said owner John Tecklin. “Now we’re taking smaller amounts and stretching it farther. The intensification of the drought this past winter really got us concerned. So we’ve transitioned almost everything to drip irrigation, which uses half as much water as sprinklers.”
Mountain Bounty has also invested in more timers to closely control irrigation and a new moisture meter that determines which days to irrigate 10 percent less.
Growing carefully with the season is another water-saving strategy. All vegetables take water, but spring crops like potatoes, onions, and beans require less irrigation because they finish earlier and can be stored.
“We have a triage list. Right now in the early season, we’re not suffering for lack of water,” Tecklin said. “The suffering happens in August, September, [and] October when we have to prioritize things we can cut. Edamame is not a big priority, for example, we can live without that, but let’s keep the carrots because everyone loves carrots.”
By managing the little water they do have and strategically planting their crops, Mountain Bounty’s farmers know exactly how much water each plant gets. But they’re always looking for ways to conserve more.
“We could be more efficient if we had sophisticated filtration systems, but those are really expensive,” Tecklin said. “We are applying for grants to help us afford these improvements. Our storage ponds could be lined, but that’s in the $100,000 range. It’s out of the scope of our scale of operation.”
For now, the farm strategically calculates each droplet seeping from its drip lines, ensuring that every ounce counts.
THE LAYH FAMILY
When Jason and Gina Layh remind their kids to conserve water, 6-year-old Xavier and 3-year-old Ursula are quick to respond.
“Flushing the toilet is tricky with kids,” said Jason. “You’re trying to teach that when they go to the bathroom they need to flush and wash their hands. Their hands are constantly in their mouth. So having kids and saving water in the bathroom is a tricky one.”
The Layh family saves water in other ways. The kids know to water plants with extra drinking and cooking water, they turn the tap off quickly, and talk about the drought as a family.
“We never wash our cars, ever. We have a natural garden. Outside of having older appliances, our water use is pretty minimal,” Jason said.
During the recent rains, the kids put cooking trays outside. They didn’t do anything with the collected water, but Jason said, “It got them thinking.”
Jason knows firsthand the drastic ways a community can save water. The town where Jason is from in Australia just got out of a 15-year drought.
“Public parks were brown. No one was allowed to wash cars or use water outside of drinking, cooking, and showering,” he said. “If you wanted to water your garden, you needed to collect it yourself.”
As a family, the Layhs are aware of their water consumption and habits. Their 3-year-old has never seen a true winter, so the drought is not something they feel they can ignore.
