BOARD OF DIRECTORS Glen Acosta, President Jim Haselton, Vice President Matt Disston, Director Mike Safranski, Director Ed Mandich, Director GENERAL MANAGER Don Chadd

ON TAP

Spare Water On Tap

Many of Trabuco Canyon Water District’s customers may have read a recent article in The Orange County Register entitled “Spare Water on Tap.” In case you did not see the article, TCWD is reprinting it to put your mind at ease regarding a potential summer drought due to the severe lack of rain during the winter of 2007.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) said it will withdraw 130 billion gallons of water from its huge network of reservoirs to get the region through a severe drought that’s getting worse.

The water, equivalent to what 3.2 million people consume in a year in the MWD service area, is needed because there was little snow this winter in the Sierra Nevada and the Colorado River, the source of most of the district’s water.

• The water content in the Sierra snow pack is 29 percent of average, the second lowest since 1976.
• The Colorado River is experiencing its eighth consecutive year of drought.
• Santa Ana has received 2.2 inches of precipitation since the rainy season began July 1. That’s 11 inches below average. If the city doesn’t get 1.3 inches of rain by June 30, this will be the driest rainy season locally since record keeping began in 1948.
• Orange County buys about 120 billion gallons of water from MWD each year.

MWD is well-positioned for the drought because it invested in new reservoirs and underground storage sites, most of which came online after the drought that ravaged California from 1987 to 1992. When that drought began, MWD had just over 500,000 acre-feet of water (163 billion gallons) in storage, mostly in reservoirs. The agency now has 2.5 million acre-feet in storage, more than half of which is underground.

MWD plans to take 400,000 acre feet (130 billion gallons) out of these reserves to avoid disruptions over the summer. Statewide, the water outlook is good – for the moment. What can you do to conserve water this summer? The most significant impact is decreased water use in the area of landscape irrigation. Landscape irrigation within TCWD (and probably most districts) can account for approximately 75% of the water demand for the District. Avoid watering your landscape during the day; water only early in the morning and after the sun sets to decrease water evaporation.

We encourage you to visit: bewaterwise.com

Go to the Watering Index and find the Water Calculator which is a tool that allows you to create your own customer watering schedule, based on your type of turf and plant palette, to estimate the right amount of water to give your landscape or garden each week. You can save 750 to 1,500 gallons of water a month. We believe you will find the calculator useful and certainly helpful in conserving water.

Other outside water savings tips –

• Replace a portion of your lawn with beautiful native and California Friendly plans. Saves 1,000 to 1,800 gallons a month depending on your climate.
• Use a broom instead of a hose to clean driveways and sidewalks. Save 150 gallons or more each time.
• Don’t water the sidewalks, driveway or gutter. Adjust your sprinkler so that water lands on your lawn or garden where it belongs – and only there. Saves 500 gallons a month.

* By “cycling” your irritation timer to turn on for the suggested number of minutes an hour apart, you reduce runoff and gain deeper watering and healthier root growth.

The Regular Board Meeting is held on the third Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the District Office located at 32003 Dove Canyon Drive, Trabuco Canyon. The public is encouraged to attend.

Board Highlights

• April 4, 2007 – Awarded a contract for the Dry Season Water Recovery Project, Tick Creek and Dove Creek Urban Water Pump Stations.
• April 18, 2007 – Approved the completion of the Dove Canyon, Phase II, Reach 2 contract.
• Discussed the District’s Landscape Dedication/Open House/Water Awareness Day to be held on May 19, 2007.
• Determined not to support the Municipal Water District of Orange County 2007-2008 budget and budget process.