SV Groundwater Use Efficiency Water Conservation Off the

SV Groundwater Use Efficiency: Water Conservation ‘Off the Grid’ Carrie Pollard Principal Water Programs Specialist carrie. pollard@scwa. ca. gov www. sonomacountywater. org

Overview • Explore possible water conservation programs for unserved population • Partnership with: • Sonoma Valley County Sanitation Dist. • City of Sonoma • Valley of the Moon Water District • Sonoma Valley Basin Advisory Panel • Grant funding – $25, 000 from NBWA and in-kind services from partners

Goals • Conduct residential and agricultural water use assessments • Develop educational/outreach materials • Investigate feasibility of targeted public outreach meetings and events • Develop a report summarizing the findings and recommendations

Residential Site Assessments • Completed 15 assessments through the Water Smart Home Program (WSHP) • Limited participation by well users • Small sample size may not reflect all well users

Toilets • 48 toilets measured • 3. 2 toilets per home • 29% do not meet current 1992 standard of 1. 6 gpf • AB 715: Toilets sold must be ≤ 1. 28 gpf by 2014 • SB 407: All residential properties must have lowflow fixtures by 2014

Showerheads 43 showerheads measured Average flow rate of 2. 08 gpm 7% do not meet 1992 2. 5 gpm standard 93% had a flow rate of 2. 0 gpm • Sonoma, VOM, Agency have been providing free 2. 0 gpm for years, now only 1. 5 gpm • •

Faucets • 54 faucets measured • Average flow rate of 1. 8 gpm, median of 1. 5 gpm • 15% do not meet 1992 2. 2 gpm standard • Sonoma, VOM, Agency provide free 2. 0 gpm kitchen and 1. 5 gpm bathroom aerators

Clothes Washers • All homes had washers • 47% did not have newer Energy. Star rated washers • 22% of indoor use is for clothes washing • Most efficient washer uses 60% less water than old top load washers

Water Softeners • 2 homes had water softeners (13%) • Not a common appliance in Sonoma County • Only 2. 8% of homes through the WSHP had them installed

Landscape Irrigation • 73% of homes had an automatic irrigation system • 64% of the systems were adjusted by staff to reduce water waste • Homeowners generally do not know how to irrigate efficiently

Recommendations for Residential • Promote high-efficiency clothes washers as nearly half are inefficient • Focus on replacing the remaining water guzzling toilets • Educate homeowners about water efficient landscape irrigation and practices

Agricultural Site Assessments • 3 vineyards • 6 dairies • Difficult to get participants due to proprietary concerns • Generally efficient, but always room to improve

Vineyard Water Use • Water use is monitored and controlled for quality of crops • Cooperative towards conserving water, but requested to not reveal water use • Irrigated with drip systems

Vineyard Recommendations • Improve drip system to increase root zone • Modify irrigation frequency and duration to fit soil profile • Begin irrigation as late as possible – after shoot tip growth slows or stops • Use multiple methods to monitor plant water status

Dairy Water Use • Majority of water use is for drinking by cows

Dairy Water Use • Average water use falls within industry average of 25 to 40 gpd per cow • No correlation between size of dairy and efficiency

Efficiency Opportunities • Onsite reuse for barn wash down • Water for cooling (energy savings) • Equipment cleaning water • Capture rain water from barn roofs

Water Conservation Outreach • Existing programs already available • Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper • Eco Friendly Garden Tour • Bay Friendly Landscaping • 350 Garden Challenge • Green Business Program

Report • • Currently drafting report Draft will be released February 24 Comments accepted through March 10 Final report will be distributed

SV Groundwater Use Efficiency: Water Conservation ‘Off the Grid’ Carrie Pollard Principal Water Programs Specialist carrie. pollard@scwa. ca. gov www. sonomacountywater. org