Author: Richard Restuccia

  • Water Rates on the Rise: 6 Ways to Save [Infographic]

    Ben Franklin wrote, “in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” The new addendum should be, “and the rising cost of water.” USA Today, The Oregonian, ValleyCrest Takes On and now Fast Company have taken notice, attributing the water rate increases to aging infrastructure and the rising cost of energy. Regardless of the reasons, water rate increases have us all feeling squeezed whether it be your personal family income or property management budget. The good thing is, there is something you can do about it.

    Water-saving solutions

    The infographic below presents a quick picture of just how much a variety of water management solutions can improve water use efficiency on your property and in turn, protect you from having to pay more and more year-over-year to your local water agency. Given water rate increase projections for many cities across the US, we all need to be implementing smarter water-use solutions just to keep our water bill from going up.

    Aging water infrastructure isn’t just a public problem

    A colleague brought up an interesting point in a conversation on water management last week. He compared our irrigation system to car maintenance. We all think about putting a little money into savings each month to account for ongoing issues we might have with our vehicles. For some reason, most of us don’t think about our irrigation systems in the same way. Many of our irrigation systems have costly leaks or outdated equipment that add up to A LOT of water waste every year. In today’s water rate environment, we can’t afford to turn a blind eye any longer.

    Please take a moment to comment below if you have tried any of the water saving solutions noted in the infographic, or if you have other ideas you can share for reducing your water footprint.

    Ways to Save Water Infographic

  • 5 Strategies To Maximize Smart Irrigation Month

    I am more excited about Smart Irrigation Month this year than past years because so many people are getting involved.  I have already seen a significant increase over past years in the  amount of publicity the first day of Smart Irrigation Month. It feels like we are building excellent momentum. The  Irrigation Association   created Smart Irrigation Month as an initiative to increase public awareness of the value of water-use efficiency and grow demand for water-saving products, practices and services.   July is the selected month because it is typically the month water requirements are highest for landscapes, it’s typically the hottest month of the year, and a great time to check how well your irrigation system is watering. Smart Irrigation Month started in 2005 and is gaining traction as stakeholders recognize the potential impact of efficient irrigation in July and year-round. All industry professionals and businesses are encouraged to participate.

    The number of states recognizing Smart Irrigation Month has also increased.  Last year  just four states designated July as Smart Irrigation Month: Arizona, North Carolina, Colorado, and Oklahoma.  This year Idaho, Indiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, Virginia, Colorado, New Jersey have all declared July as Smart Irrigation Month and California has declared July Water Smart Month.  It is interesting to note the proclamations are submitted and granted on an annual basis.

    Smart Irrigation Month is an industry campaign to increase public awareness of the value of water-use efficiency.  It’s an opportunity for all of us to:

    • Save money on water bills
    • Nurture green spaces that deliver real environmental benefits
    • Protects our community’s water supply for generations to come
    • Minimize needed investments in infrastructure to store and carry water, which must be paid for by property taxes or municipal bonds

    Smart controllers are a great idea for Smart Irrigation Month.  They deliver exactly the right amount of water at the right time. Below are just a few of the advantages of using smart controllers:

    • Minimize over watering while keeping your lawn and garden beautiful and healthy
    • Adjust watering automatically to account for rain and other conditions
    • Put every drop of water to work by minimizing evaporation and waste
    • Make maintaining your yard easy and convenient

     With just a few simple strategies, it’s easy to save water, save money and see better results.

    1. Plant right
    2. Invest in an irrigation system
    3. Water wisely
    4. Maintain and upgrade your system
    5. Work with an irrigation professional

    Hunter Industries is running a contest giving away free trips to the Irrigation Association Show in Austin this November.  Some of the irrigation distributors are getting on board too.  Ewing Irrigation has an amazing Smart Irrigation Month promotion that includes smart irrigation sales tools.  They have some great ideas and will decrease the amount of time a contractor has to take to prepare and allow them to have more time to sell.

    So this is your chance to support Smart Irrigation Month.  There are lots of opportunities to make a difference.  Let us know in the comments section of the blog what you plan to do to celebrate the month, and if I missed a promotion or something special you are doing please let us all know in the comments area.

     – You can also follow me on twitter @H2oTrends or @h2oBloggers.

  • Happy Anniversary!

    Two years ago we launched ValleyCresttakeson.com and it has been amazing how many people helped make a difference in water conservation.  Thank you to all of you who have shared your expertise, contributed ideas, and helped raise awareness about water.  We couldn’t have done it without you.

    Most of the work on the blog is done after hours, and most of our subscribers read the blog after hours. This is not just our work; it is our passion and a cause we truly believe in, and so do you, our readers.  We keep moving this forward because we think it’s helping. We share the message of sustainability with unique voices and interesting content, with people who may not usually listen.  We have fun and invite others to join us, to build the community of passionate water geeks who are working for a more sustainable future.

    In celebration of this big day I had a conversation with fellow bloggers Martha Golea and Alan Harris.  Below are a few of what they felt were highlights from the past two years:

    Question – Did you have a moment when you realized this blog might be bigger than we anticipated?

    AH:  When people come up to me at lunch and association meetings and start talking about what I write; sometimes I have not seen the person in years or may not even know them.

    MG:  I realized the blog was bigger than I expected when, very early on, the EPA shared one of my blog posts and through that I was invited to speak about the blog at a local conference. Since then I was invited to speak on an EPA panel at the WaterSmart Innovations Conference last year and have done several interviews with them. If the EPA is paying attention to what I write, it must matter. Also, when people started quoting “Are You Obsessed” back to me, I realized this blog was going somewhere!

    RR: We get comments about our Celebrity Sightings at Starbucks post everywhere we go, too. So many people fell for our April Fools joke! Alan’s LA River post  hit home for a lot of people.  I had several people call me and tell me the post was a trip down memory lane for them .   Martha’s water softener post got so much attention.  It’s been shared on  over 638 times on various channels and we had two people start an intense battle on one LinkedIn group but later admitted they were trying to be instigators to get more of a discussion going.  It sure worked.   LinkedIn has been a great place to share content and get comments in groups.  The large majority of comments are valuable and important, but we have received some oddly interesting comments.  Next time you see us in person, ask us about some of the crazy comments.

    The biggest moment for me was when I met with the EPA in DC last year.  I was part of a group of 5 people meeting with them.  I was the only one from ValleyCrest.   When I introduced myself I said I’m Richard Restuccia with ValleyCrest and they said “Oh yeah, the blog!”; that’s when I realized we were making a difference. I really don’t go anywhere in the irrigation world where someone doesn’t want to discuss one of the post they saw.

    Question – How has the blog changed the way you think about water?

    MG: My brother and my grandma in Erie both told me recently they live on the lake so they never thought about water scarcity before they started reading the blog. Now they think of it every time they turn on the tap.

    AH: In the last 2 years I began composting, started a rain garden, and am now recycling my koi pond water.  Probably to make up for the fact that my daughter wrote a guest blog post about how much water it takes to fill my giant bathtub!

    RR: I think 99% of people turn on their faucets and have no idea where the water comes from or how it got there.  If they knew the background behind it, the infrastructure, the waste, they would be more careful with it.  I think our blog explores all those areas and as a result readers end up using less water.  I know I think about it every time I turn on the faucet and it causes me to be more careful with water.

    Top 10 most popular posts for the past 2 years according to Google:

    With almost 85,000 page views over the past two years it’s tough to make this list.

    1. 10 Reasons I Hate Irrigation Systems…and What You Can Do To Make Me Love Them
    2. 5 Drought Tolerant Plant Resources
    3. The Hidden Risks of Softened Water
    4. LEED Points for Water Efficiency
    5. 10 Easy Ways to Make Your Landscape More Efficient Today
    6. Are You Obsessed
    7. Celebrity Sightings at Starbucks
    8. 10 Low Water-Use Landscape Design Ideas
    9. 10 Reasons to Love Trees
    10. 5 Excellent Perspectives: How To Irrigate a Slope

    We have viewers from all over the world.

    The top 10 countries viewing the blog are:

    United States, Canada, United Kingdom, India, Australia, Spain, Netherlands, South Korea, Mexico and South Africa.

    The top 10 states in the U.S.

    California, Texas, Florida, Arizona, Georgia, Colorado, New York, Virginia, Illinois, and Pennsylvania.

    Water management, conservation, and sustainability are all topics gaining momentum. When we first started, we weren’t sure how well the blog would be received, but we’ve experienced tremendous interest, so we’ve added a Twitter account (@h2oBloggers)   and Facebook (WaterBloggers)  to engage more with our friends and followers. We learn from you and rely on you for blog inspiration, so thank you for your input.

    We have been invited to speak at numerous events and conferences about using social media to tell the story of water, and have become contributing writers to Lawn & Landscape magazine . This year we won a TOCA (Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association) award of merit for our series in Lawn and Landscape.

    Our popular Water Trivia Tuesday posts on Facebook receive around 1,000 views each week.

    The third Wednesday of each month is #waterwednesday on #landscapechat. Our guests have ranged from a wastewater treatment artist to the EPA.

    Our challenge for readers: 

    Thank you again for your interest, contributions and efforts to save water.  The past two years have been a good start, but we have much more work to do.  We are still facing the potential of serious water shortages in the United States and many other parts of the world are already facing shortages.  Diseases from unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war.  The water challenge is enormous, but so is the opportunity.  Let’s continue to move this message forward by contributing more and sharing more on the blog and in person.  We can’t do it without your help.  Please help us by continuing to share this message.

  • A Quick Guide for Storing Fruits and Vegetables

    At the last Water Conference sponsored by the Irrigation Association I was interested to hear Peter Williams, Chief Technology Officer,  from IBM Big Green Innovation speak about water.  Peter quickly grabbed everyone’s attention when he pointed out 40% of the food grown in the United States goes uneaten.   This food is fruits and vegetables that take so much water to grow.   For those of us in the water conservation business our heads were quickly trying to calculate how much water was being wasted as a result of the  uneaten food.  Storing fruits and vegetables properly will cut down on food and water waste.

    Farm to fork to landfill

    Americans are throwing out about $165 billion in food each year. It turns out there is waste created all along the process.  It starts right at the farms where lots of food is grown but not harvested because there’s too much or it doesn’t meet quality standards or there are no workers to harvest the food.   Then mainly due to high standards for food, much of our fruits and vegetables are culled and thrown out, so we lose some in the processing and distribution process as well.  However, the major place waste occurs is in the home.  At grocery stores we are encouraged with quantity discounts and excellent marketing to buy more than we can eat.  We don’t know how to properly store fruits and vegetables, or we are just not interested in learning because food is still too cheap and plentiful to worry about saving.  Sound familiar?  The food waste alone is sad, but if you also consider the water waste as a result of the food going uneaten you will drive yourself bananas.

    How To Store Fruits and Vegetables at Home

    The good news is with a little time and education we can keep foods fresh longer and waste less by learning how to properly store fruits and vegetables.  It takes just a little extra thought to ensure your fruits and vegetables for a reasonable amount of time so you can enjoy them fully –  and more importantly save water as a result of  not wasting food.

    There are really three places you should be storing your fruits and veggies.  In the refrigerator, on the counter, or in a cool dry place.  If you are storing them in the refrigerator you have some choices to make there as well.  Will they be stored in a plastic bag, paper bag or open.  When you store food in bags it increases the amount of humidity it is exposed to and the greater the likelihood of mold.

    It’s best to wait to wash your fruits and vegetables until just before you use them.  It’s difficult to completely dry them and any moisture helps promote mold.

    Below are some items you will want to store in the refrigerator:

    • Artichokes, beets, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cantaloupes, celery, cherries, grapes, green beans, lima beans,  leafy vegetables, mushrooms, okra, spinach, sprouts, summer squash, yellow squash and zucchini

    These items you want to ripen before they are put in the refrigerator.  They emit ethylene and will ripen your other fruits too quickly:

    • Avocados, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums and kiwi

    It’s great to keep herbs and asparagus the same way you do flowers – in water.  They will stay fresh for days and with the cost of both of those items you will greatly benefit.

    Definitely don’t wash these until right before you use them. Store these in the refrigerator and keep them in a plastic bag:

    • Broccoli,  carrots, cauliflower, chard, corn, cranberries, green onions, lettuce, peas and radishes

    Remember berries like strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries shouldn’t be washed until you are ready to eat them.  You should store them in the refrigerator, but make sure air can circulate around them.

    Definitely store these items on the counter top, out of the sun:

    • Apples, bananas, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, ginger, grapefruit, jicama, lemons, limes, mangoes, oranges, papayas, peppers, pineapple, pomegranates, watermelon

    Store these items in a cool, dry, place:

    • Acorn squash, butternut squash, garlic, onions, potatoes, pumpkins, shallots, spaghetti squash, sweet potatoes, winter squash

    I keep this list handy on my iPhone and review it when I get home from the store. (You can also download a handy reference sheet from our Facebook page.)  If you do the same, after a few weeks you’ll easily remember know how to store produce properly and you’ll be happy to see how much longer it can last. If we all work together to reduce food waste, we will continue to win our battle to save water.

  • How Water In The West Impacts Everyone

    This is going to be the third consecutive year of drought in the West and we are feeling an impact. The water source in Colorado’s Front Range is in short supply. 100 percent of the state is experiencing some level of drought, snowpack is at 70 percent of the long-term average and just 91 percent of last year’s total. Local experts say the water situation is worse than 2002 when Colorado experienced severe drought conditions and widespread mandatory outdoor water restrictions.  Most of Colorado is in a stage two drought meaning severe restrictions on outdoor water use.  Stage three drought would mean eliminating all landscape water use.  This impacts the rest of the West because water from the Colorado river is used widely in seven western states.

    Help is not on the way.  The latest estimates from  National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) latest three-month drought outlook, which the agency released in mid April shows the drought lengthening.  It is forecast the drought will expand into northern California, Oregon and Washington.  Texas, where drought has been an issue since 2011 will also continue to see expansion.

    Drought Impact on Farmers

    Reading about California farmers last week I was surprised to see they are only going to receive 20% of their allocation this year.  When I first read it I thought 20% reduction, but further reading showed the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced the past couple of months of dry weather prompted a decrease in water allocations to contractors south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin river delta to 20% of the contracted supply.

    During last year’s growing season the drought negatively impacted crops and the price increases at the grocery store were large.  As I pointed out in last summer’s post, “How You Are Paying for the Drought!”  This year with the issues of the past year’s lack of water we are at a high risk for farmers to abandon crops this year and ranchers to cull herds. This will cause spikes in food prices for all of us at the grocery store.

    Employment ripple effect

    California alone could lose 100,000 farm jobs to the drought.  Agricultural job losses are also happening in six other western states and Texas.  When these jobs go away the communities servicing our farms suffer.  Higher unemployment hurts housing and the spiral continues on and on.  In some places in the west once a week watering of landscape is being regulated. Imagine what could happen to home prices in our neighborhoods if we can only water our landscapes once a week. We can do something about this drought and the droughts to come.  Here are 100 ways you can save water daily and lessen the impact the drought has on your community.

     

    Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/03/22/3226211/feds-cut-valley-water-allocation.html#storylink=cpy

     

     

     

  • Who Else Wants To Save Energy?

    By now we’re all pretty well programmed to conserve electricity. Turn off the lights, unplug appliances, don’t leave the refrigerator door open, etc. But we’re missing a really important point: the energy-water connection.

    Almost one fifth of California’s energy is used to move water.  Water conservation and water management are becoming vital to energy conservation.   Nearly 75%  of the state’s rainfall occurs in Northern California, while  75% of the agricultural and urban water use is in Central and Southern California.  Water is moved around the state to support economic and urban development.  Without water  projects to move water,  Central and Southern California would look dramatically different.  The California economy is the eighth largest economy in the world and without water would not be able to support the farming or industrial production it enjoys today. For those of us living in Southern California we receive about half our water from snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains over 400 miles away.   It takes a tremendous amount of energy to move the water (which is very heavy) from Northern California to Southern California especially over the 3ooo foot Tehachapi Pass.  It is an amazing engineering feat to move all this water, but is it sustainable?

    The United States consumes about 20% of the world’s supply of electricity.  California ranks number 2 behind Texas for states using the most electrical power.   Although California ranks 48th in energy consumption per capita, it still does not produce enough energy to meet it’s consumption needs and ends up being a net importer of electricity.   Way to go  Pennsylvania, Alabama, and West Virginia.  All states generating more electricity than they can use and are net exporters.  How does your state rank? Check here.

    We don’t have the time or money to waste

    The summer landscape watering season is upon us.  How much do you want to pay for electricity to move water around the state to end up letting it run down the gutter?  Below are a few simple activities you can perform today to make sure your system is operating efficiently.

    1. Turn on your system and adjust sprinklers to avoid waste and ensure uniform distribution
    2. Test the spray patterns of sprinkler systems; check for clogged lines and mixed nozzle sizes of sprinkler heads; be sure to repair leaks
    3. Install rain shut-off devices

    Higher energy costs are significantly impacting our lives.   We need to take additional action to reduce energy consumption in the United States.  We can do this without abandoning  efficiency, comfort, or the use of technology. There are ways to consume energy more sustainably without going to extreme measures, or  huge personal  sacrifice.  Making a few adjustments in the way we use water is simple, effective, and a step in the right direction.

    Tweet me your thoughts @H2oTrends

     

     

     

  • Managing Water – A Limited Opportunity

    In October a print version of  this post was written and published in Lawn & Landscape Magazine under the title of  “The Future of Water.” The response was so positive we are posting it here.

    What’s the issue?

    Every second the urban population grows by two people.  Fifty percent of the world’s population lives in cities of 10 million people or more.  According to the Global Environmental Outlook water withdrawals are predicted to increase by 50 percent by 2025 in developing countries and 18 percent in developed countries.  According to the EPA, nationwide, landscape irrigation is estimated to account for almost one-third of all residential water use, totaling more than 7 billion gallons per day.  In the west and other sunny areas landscape water use accounts for over 50 percent of residential water use.  As an industry we have a large target on our back for regulation to reduce water use.  In California just a 20 percent reduction in landscape water use would be equivalent to reducing all toilet water use to zero.  Managing water is an opportunity, but the window of opportunity may close quickly.


    We have a choice.

    As an industry we have an opportunity to change the way we manage water.  However, the opportunity to make the change is not unlimited. I have heard more than one lawmaker explain a water shortage in the U.S. is a threat to homeland security.  When I hear the words “threat to homeland security” I know we only have a limited time to act before the government takes control of the situation.


    What can we do?

    First we need to embrace the technology manufacturers provide for water management.  I find only a small percentage of contractors recommend smart controllers to their customers.  In some cases, I find contractors telling customers smart controllers only benefit the landscape contractor and they shouldn’t spend money on technology that only benefits the contractor.  This is completely irresponsible and our industry suffers from these statements.

    In most situations the fastest way to save water for customers is through the proper use of smart controllers.  Lack of understanding is the main reason contractors stay away from smart controllers and education is the key to the technology.  All contractors should consider the IA Certified Irrigation Contractor program.  IA Certified Irrigation Contractors meet minimum experience requirements, pass a written exam and agree to a code of ethics.  The IA Certified Irrigation Contractor and Certified Irrigation Designer programs were the first professional certifications to earn the EPA WaterSense label.  The IA also offers courses for irrigation professionals who need to stay abreast of the latest technologies.

    Also, check with local water purveyors about special “smart” certification programs they may be offering.  Many water purveyors offer smart controller incentives to qualified residential and commercial customers.  These incentives help make upgrading to a smart irrigation controller even more compelling to your clients.  Then promote the benefits of smart irrigation controllers to new and existing clients.

    Remember this is just a start. I have a strong desire to change the way we have been managing irrigation water and I need your help. Tweet me your thoughts @H2oTrends

     

  • The Key To Water Management

    Inspect what you expect

    We have all heard the term, “Inspect what you expect.”  Measurement of performance is one of the quickest ways to inspire change.  The water management industry could benefit from real time water use data to measure and report the amount of water used on a daily basis.

    The non-profit group Charity Water (www.charitywater.org) focused on a project done at Teague, a manufacturing firm. Teague measured the amount of water flowing through their office kitchen faucet.  They were concerned about this because of the ease of water flow from the kitchen faucet is in stark contrast to what is known to be true about scarcity of water.  They developed a meter to measure the flow of water and monitored the water use on their computers.  They informed office staff water use was being measured, and looked for any behavioral changes concerning water management.  They discovered most people were using about two gallons of water to wash their hands.  They determined because the data about water use was not providing instant feedback to the person washing their hands, they were not getting the expected reduction in water use.

    Next, they moved an Apple Ipad next to the sink, in clear view of the person washing their hands.  This had tremendous impact on the users because they could actually see the amount of water they were using.  Water management improved immediately.  They observed people were now shutting off the water while they soaped their hands and re-started it to rinse. The change in behavior resulted in substantial water savings.  People were now only using a ½ gallon of water to wash their hands. You can see a video of the project at here .

    In landscape irrigation, we are developing water budgets for properties and measuring against the budget to make sure we are watering efficiently.  We measure water use by reading meters on a regular basis .  The challenge is just like at Teague, when the data is away from the source of water or delayed there is no behavioral change.  To drive water use down, real-time devices should measure water use on a daily basis and compare it to a water budget delivered directly to the water manager. As more competitive and affordable technology for real time measurement is available, the water savings are going to be substantial.

    Wireless water meters give us the ability to measure water use in real time. California is leading the way with wireless water meters, and other states are not far behind.  In 2010 residents of the Bronx had the opportunity to see their water consumption in real time.  The New York Times reports that 834,000 customers have a wireless meter already installed and will be able to start using the system immediately.  This gives users the opportunity to quickly see how much water they are using and as a result change their behavior.

    What is your city doing about real time data and wireless water meters?  Let us know who is doing well and who we need to influence to change.