KATHRYN PALMER
ARGUS-COURIER STAFF
July 8, 2021
(Read Original Article Here)
As the region’s worsening drought spurs new mandatory water use restrictions, a local water conservation nonprofit is fielding more questions and ramping up its water-savings programs.
Daily Acts, with a decade of experience and a presence in Santa Rosa, Cotati, Windsor and Petaluma, works to elevate rebate programs, connect people with resources, and offer training to those interested in replacing their water-guzzling lawns with drought-tolerant landscaping.
“We focus mostly on outdoor water use, since the average household uses 50% of its total water outdoors,” said Senior Programs Coordinator Annie Silverman. “We’ve been teaching workshops and webinars that take on a variety of topics from soil health to gray water.”
One of its most popular programs has been helping residents sheet mulch their yards, which dramatically cuts down on water use when used to replace lawns.
It’s the process of composting a lawn in place, Silverman said, by layering cardboard and compost followed by mulch. Because it’s higher in organic matter, the mulched lawns are able to hold on to water for longer periods, and limit watering needs. It’s also a less labor-intensive than ripping out a lawn, Silverman said.
“In the last drought, we did a lot of sheet mulching,” Silverman said. “And whenever there is a really serious drought, there’s often more resources put toward incentives to promote sheet mulching.”
Silverman said Daily Acts has facilitated 58 sheet mulching projects over the years, eliminating 371,786 square feet of irrigated lawn to conserve an estimated 5,431,200 gallons annually – enough to fill more than eight Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Petaluma resident Jane Lott recently turned both her back yard and front yard into mulched, drought-tolerant landscapes after hearing about the program from a neighbor who had transformed her lawn several years prior.
After moving in five years ago, Lott began to realize the existing landscaping required large amounts of water. Already conscientious of her consumption after living through California droughts, Lott decided in 2019 to mulch her backyard and plant the drought-tolerant species Daily Acts suggested. About six months later, she transformed her front yard with the same method. Each took a little under a week, she said.
“It seemed like the easiest thing I could do to reduce energy costs. Having a lawn is outrageously expensive,” Lott said. “But the idea of changing the yard was also the environmental thing to do, to do our part in that.”
As more residents become more water-wise over the years, Silverman said she’s noticed increased interest in new water conservation methods that go one step further – specifically gray water systems.
The nonprofit hosted a gray water tour June 19, which visited homes around town that have create their own system to divert used water from places like sinks, showers and washing machines to irrigate their yards and gardens.
“I think people are really curious about it,” Silverman said. “And with the drought, it seems people are ready to look for more options beyond just the sheet mulching.”
The tour’s 20 spots were quickly filled, Silverman said, as did a wait list. Lott said building her own gray water “laundry to landscape” system is the next project on her to-do list
One of the homes the gray water tours often visit belongs to Abigail Smyth and her partner Bradford Rex. Smyth said they installed their gray water system eight years ago after attending a seminar hosted by Daily Acts, and accessed a grant-funded program that allowed them to obtain the materials for free.
“We’re always happy to show people what we’ve done,” Smyth said. “I think the awareness is much greater now about greywater and water use in general, and has even tripled recently now that we’re in this extreme drought.”
Contact Kathryn Palmer at [email protected], on Twitter @KathrynPlmr.