Marin-Friendly Lawn Care

by Dan Carney, Water Conservation Manager

Children’s play yard (photo and design by Michelle Derviss)

If you are looking for an ideal landscape area to have a picnic, play games with your kids, or rough and tumble with the family dog, a lawn may be a good choice.

When properly cared for, lawns have many environmental benefits: They clean and cool the air, filter storm water, produce oxygen, and require much less water than you might think—lawns are commonly overwatered by as much as five-times! As a rule of thumb, unless it’s the middle of summer and the lawn is in full sun all day long, a healthy lawn only needs to be watered one day per week if it’s not raining. If it needs more, chances are your lawn needs some help.

Common environmental problems with lawns occur when people overwater, use chemical pesticides and fertilizers, do not compost clippings, mow too often, and have a larger lawn than they actually use. This article focuses on the essential things you need to know in order to successfully grow healthy lawn grass in an environmentally responsible, Marin-friendly manner.

But first, ask yourself this question: Do you really need a traditional lawn at all? If your answer is no, then please consider planting a no-mow meadow of native grasses, low-water groundcover, or other drought-adapted plants. Even when perfectly maintained, lawns require more water than any other landscape plant and are best reserved for landscape areas where they will be actively used rather than just a pretty green surface to look at. If you have a lawn area you want to convert into a low-water using garden, check out this video to learn how to sheet mulch. Then, browse our conservation coupons to find discounts on mulch and other supplies from local retailers.

If you still choose to have a lawn on your property, here are the basics of Marin-friendly lawn care:

• Incorporate a generous amount of organic compost into the soil (1-2 cubic yards per 100 square feet).
• Select a drought-tolerant grass species.
• Apply enough organic fertilizer to maintain plant health but not to stimulate fast growth.
• Irrigate with a high-efficiency irrigation system, and adjust watering times frequently to match seasonal plant demand. Never water between the hours of 9 a.m. and 7 p.m., the time when 97% of evapotranspiration occurs.
• Mow infrequently, use a manual or electric mower, leave the grass blades 2-4 inches tall, and compost the clippings.
• Use graywater, rainwater, or recycled water whenever it is available.

By following these basic steps, you will be training your lawn grass to develop a deep and extensive root system—the key to growing a drought-tolerant lawn with the most environmental benefits and the fewest problems. MMWD offers a number of free services to help you make your landscape Marin-friendly. Visit our Conservation page today to schedule a free water use survey through our Conservation Assistance Program (CAP), sign up for a Marin Master Gardener Garden Walk, and take advantage of great rebate offers for smart irrigation controllers. And, be sure to sign up for MMWD’s Weekly Watering Schedule to get updated watering information for your climate zone delivered to your email box each week.

 

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Ready for Rain

Alpine Reservoir on October 24 by MMWD Ranger John McConneloug

October began without any rain and apparently the month will end that way, too. Let’s hope November brings rainy weather. While our reservoir levels are almost normal for this time of year, at 62 percent of capacity there is plenty of space to capture water. (See current photos of the reservoirs on our Facebook page)

In response to the record-dry spring of 2013 and to preserve our reservoir levels to the degree possible, we made the following changes to our normal water operations this year:

• We carefully balanced the use of imported Russian River water with our reservoir water supply, importing more Russian River water than is typical in the summer months;
• We used more water from Nicasio Reservoir in West Marin, allowing us to save more water in our reservoirs on Mt. Tamalpais;
• We turned on our recycled water plant earlier in the spring than usual to reduce demand on our potable water supply.

Here are the current water statistics:

Reservoir Levels:  As of October 27, reservoir storage is 50,366 acre-feet,* or 63 percent of capacity. The average for this date is 51,728 acre-feet, or 65 percent of capacity. Total capacity is 79,566 acre-feet.

Rainfall: Rainfall this fiscal year to date (July 1-October 27) is 1.16 inches. Average for the same period is 3.12 inches.

Water Use: Water use for the week ending October 27 averaged 26.5 million gallons per day, compared to 20.5 million gallons per day for the same week last year.

Supply Source: Last week we averaged 21.1 million gallons per day from our reservoirs and 5.4 million gallons per day from the Russian River.

Creek Releases: During the month of September 2013 MMWD released 266 million gallons, or a total of 817 acre-feet, into Lagunitas and Walker creeks in west Marin. We release water throughout the year to maintain adequate flows for the fishery per our agreements with the State of California.

Water use and reservoir figures can be found on our homepage.

*One acre-foot is 325,851 gallons.

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Customer Conservation Success Story: 40 Years and Still Flowing Strong

Marin Center turned 40 this year, but being “middle-aged” hasn’t stopped the arts and events venue from keeping up with the latest water-efficiency trends and technologies.

The Marin County Fairgrounds are irrigated with recycled water from MMWD’s Las Gallinas Valley Recycling Plant, saving potable water. Three smart controllers monitor current weather conditions and automatically adjust the irrigation schedule so the landscaping gets just what it needs. In addition, staff keep the irrigation system in good working order and employ water-wise landscaping techniques such as sheet mulching.

Marin Center is saving water indoors, too. The restrooms at Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium and Lagoon Park use recycled water for toilet flushing. And Marin Center has even gone water-free with 23 waterless urinals, saving up to 920,000 gallons per year.

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Bay Area Receives $30.9 Million from Prop. 84 for Regional Plan and Water Projects

Funding to Pay for Conservation, Recycling, Habitat Restoration and More

The San Francisco Bay Area has been awarded $30,093,592 in Proposition 84 funds to carry out projects to improve Bay Area water resources. This award complements $842,556 in planning funds from Proposition 84 to update the Bay Area Integrated Regional Water Management Plan.

Proposition 84, passed by voters in 2006, provides $5.4 billion for habitat restoration, water resources improvements and water quality benefits. Of this total, integrated regional water management (IRWM) programs in California will receive $1.0 billion in funding, of which $138 million is dedicated to the San Francisco Bay Area. The $30.9 million in implementation and planning funding announced this past week is the first allocation of the $138 million of Proposition 84 IRWM funds for the Bay Area.

“Proposition 84 funds make possible high-priority water resources management projects in the Bay Area,” noted Paul Helliker, General Manager of the Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) and current Chair of the Bay Area Coordinating Committee. The Committee is the regional oversight group for IRWM programs in the Bay Area, composed of representatives of water supply, wastewater treatment, and flood control agencies and environmental regulatory, resource management and non-governmental organizations. Helliker added, “Over the next 20 years, water resources management agencies are planning tens of billions of dollars of investments in infrastructure and ecosystem improvements, and these state grant funds fill important niches.”

Integrated Management Plans

The Bay Area IRWM Coordinating Committee has received $842,556 to revise the Bay Area Integrated Regional Water Management Plan. The IRWM Plan was adopted in 2006 by Bay Area counties, cities, water and sanitation districts, flood control agencies and non-profit agencies to define priorities for regional water management projects and guide state grant funding decisions. The plan update, expected to be completed in 2013, will incorporate the latest information on climate change impacts, and will include a compilation of best practices to adapt to rising sea levels and changes in precipitation. The Marin Municipal Water District will be managing the plan update, on behalf of the Coordinating Committee.

Implementation Projects

$30,093,592 of the Proposition 84 funding announced last week will be dedicated to various water resources projects that were proposed for funding in January of 2011 by the Coordinating Committee. The Bay Area Clean Water Agencies (BACWA), a joint powers partnership among wastewater management agencies in the Bay Area, and a principal partner in the Bay Area Coordinating Committee, will manage this grant. The funding will be used for the following programs and projects:

Project	Total Cost	Prop. 84 Grant Funding
Water Conservation
Regional Water Conservation Program	15,359,557	8,952,685
Water Recycling
* North Bay
Marin Municipal WD Peacock Gap Recycled Water Extension	10,136,000	500,000
Las Gallinas Valley SD Novato South Service Area Project	11,631,000	500,000
North Marin WD Novato North Service Area Project	11,392,000	500,000
Sonoma Valley CSD Recycled Water Stage 1 Project	5,000,000	500,000
Napa SD State Hospital Pipeline Construction Stage 1 Project	3,057,000	500,000
* East Bay
EBMUD East Bayshore Phase 1A-I-80	2,186,000	741,000
CCCSD Concord Recycled Water Project	4,200,000	1,030,000
DSRSD Central Dublin Recycled Water Distribution and Retrofit Project	4,100,000	1,130,000
* South Bay
South Bay Water Recycling Industrial Expansion and Reliability	5,503,000	2,485,000
* West Bay
San Francisco PUC Harding Park Recycled Water Project	8,436,000	2,114,000
Wetland Ecosystem Restoration Projects
Sears Point Restoration	18,306,981	1,250,000
Bair Island Restoration	3,185,375	1,250,000
Pond A16/17 Restoration	9,300,000	1,250,000
Regional Green Infrastructure Program
San Pablo Avenue Green Infrastructure Spine	4,220,882	2,315,882
Hacienda Avenue Green Street Improvements	4,632,556	1,999,999
Napa Valley Rainwater Harvesting	328,335	250,000
Water Quality Improvement/Flood Management/Ecosystem Restoration in Disadvantaged Communities
Stream Restoration in the North Bay	265,000	200,000
Floodplain Mapping for Disadvantaged Communities	841,550	656,550
Stormwater and Flood Control Improvements Pilot Project in Bay Point	185,000	160,000
Richmond Shoreline and San Pablo Flood Control	315,000	85,000
Pescadero Creek Flood Reduction and Habitat Improvement	103,000	103,000
Pescadero Creek Steelhead Monitoring	154,810	119,310
Floodplain and Watershed Restoration in East Palo Alto	310,800	230,000
Steelhead and Coho Indicator Monitoring	503,166	378,166
Watershed Partnership Technical Assistance	203,289	150,000
Program Administration	843,000	743,000
Total	$124,699,301	$30,093,592

Other Proposition 84 Funding for Bay Area Projects

Also allocated from the Bay Area Proposition 84 funds is $1,775,000 to pay for two other Bay Area projects in eastern Contra Costa County—the Pittsburgh Recycled Water Pipeline and ecosystem restoration projects that are part of the County’s Habitat Conservation Program. These funds, as well as $449,843 to update the East Contra Costa County plan, will be managed by the Contra Costa Water District.

The total amount allocated to date from the $138 million in Proposition 84 IRWM for Bay Area projects is $33,160,991.

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North Bay Receives more than $7 Million in Proposition 84 Funding for Water Resources Improvements

MMWD awarded $1.36 million for water recycling and conservation

The North Bay has been awarded more than $7 million in integrated regional water management (IRWM) funds under State Proposition 84. This funding is a part of the overall $33.2 million that has been allocated to Bay Area agencies from the $138 million available for the Bay Area in State Proposition 84.

Proposition 84, passed by voters in 2006, provides $5.4 billion for habitat restoration, water resources improvements and water quality benefits. Of this total, integrated regional water management (IRWM) programs in California will receive $1 billion in funding, of which $138 million is dedicated to the San Francisco Bay Area. The $33.2 million in implementation and planning funding announced today is the first allocation of the $138 million of Proposition 84 IRWM funds for the Bay Area.

“North Bay water resources managers have been collaborating for many years to define the top priorities for ecosystem restoration and water resources improvements,” noted John C. (Jack) Gibson, President of the Board of Directors of the Marin Municipal Water District Board and Chairman of the North Bay Watershed Association, a group of 16 regional and local public agencies. “We are very pleased that North Bay partners have been successful in securing these grant funds, which will provide critical support for priority projects,” Gibson added.

The $7-plus million for the North Bay will support the following programs:

• Water conservation rebate and education programs in Solano, Napa, Sonoma and Marin counties;
• Five recycled water projects in Marin, Sonoma and Napa counties;
• Restoration of wetlands at Sears Point;
• Rainwater harvesting pilot projects in Napa;
• Stream restoration work in the North Bay;
• Regional projects on flood plain mapping, steelhead trout monitoring and watershed partnerships that will include North Bay organizations.

Marin Municipal Water District Projects

As part of the funding announced today, $500,000 in Prop. 84 funds will go to the Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD), to assist in financing an expansion of MMWD’s recycled water system. The addition to the system includes a new pipeline to bring water to the Peacock Gap Golf Course in San Rafael and to other customers along the way. The total cost of the system expansion is estimated to be $10.1 million, with funding to be provided from various sources. MMWD’s recycled water system, operating since 1981, serves more than 350 customers in San Rafael, including parks and other large landscapes, office buildings, car washes, commercial laundries and many others.

An additional $862,500 in Prop. 84 funds will go to MMWD to provide matching funds for water conservation program rebates. These funds will offset some of the cost of high-efficiency toilets and washing machines, as well as weather-based irrigation controllers and water efficient landscaping.

“MMWD continues to diversify its portfolio of sustainable water supply strategies,” said MMWD General Manager Paul Helliker. “This round of funding from Prop. 84 will help us reduce the demand on our reservoirs and on the supplies we purchase from the Sonoma County Water Agency.”

Integrated Regional Water Management Plan

The Bay Area received $842,556 to revise the Bay Area Integrated Regional Water Management Plan. The IRWM Plan was adopted in 2006 by Bay Area counties, cities, water and sanitation districts, flood control agencies and non-profit agencies to define priorities for regional water management projects and guide state grant funding decisions. The plan update, expected to be completed in 2013, will incorporate the latest information on climate change impacts and will include a compilation of best practices to adapt to rising sea levels and changes in precipitation. The Marin Municipal Water District will be managing the plan update, on behalf of the Coordinating Committee.

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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Providing recycled water to MMWD customers—350 and counting in northern San Rafael—requires a separate water treatment and distribution system to ensure there are no cross-connections with potable water—that is, recycled water doesn’t mix with drinking water. This separate distribution system is made up of 25 miles of pipeline, three storage tanks, four pump stations and one treatment plant. Although it is an expensive system to build and maintain, it helps reduce demand on potable water.

The majority of our recycled water customers use the water for irrigation, and about 100 customers have dual-plumbing that allows them to use the water for other uses such as toilet flushing, washing laundry and cars, and air conditioning.

Each November and December MMWD’s Reclamation Specialists Pat Feht and Rich Caboara inspect the approximately 100 dual-plumbed facilities to make sure that each is functioning properly and labeled correctly. (See photos from this year’s inspections here.) The labeling requirements for recycled water are very stringent. For example, all meters and meter boxes must be painted purple; all pipes delivering recycled water must be identified with purple Mylar tape printed with the words “Caution: Reclaimed Water. Do Not Drink”; and all valve handles must have intact breakaway seals. Special signage is also required. Any facility using recycled water must post signs at the business entrance and at the location where the recycled water is used, such as within a bathroom where the toilets are flushed with recycled water or a laundry room where recycled water is used.

In addition to conducting these annual inspections, Pat and Rich take water samples weekly throughout the year to assure that our recycled water meets strict water quality criteria. Our recycled water is treated three times before distribution and is crystal clear, odorless and free of harmful bacteria. It is similar in quality to swimming pool water.

MMWD has been at the forefront of providing recycled water and creating and supporting legislation to promote its use. We continue to explore non-agricultural uses for recycled water, just as we continue to promote conservation of potable water.

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North Bay Watershed Association 2010 Conference

The North Bay Watershed Association’s 2010 Conference, “Greening Our Water Infrastructure,” is just around the corner on Friday, April 9, 2010 at the Sheraton Petaluma from 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Don’t delay—register today!

Conference highlights include:

• Keynote presentations by California State Assembly member Jared Huffman and Vice Chair of the State Water Resources Control Board Frances Spivy-Weber
• Panel discussions on watersheds and new developments in water recycling, water supply, and green infrastructure
• Wine tasting hosted by Benziger Family Winery

Please see the flyer for more information:
http://marinwater.org/documents/NBWA_2010_Conf_Flyer.pdf

To register for the conference, please click this link:
https://www.acteva.com/go/nbwa2010

We look forward to seeing you there!

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What Do Newspapers and Water Have in Common?

by Bob Castle

Las Gallinas Valley Reclamation Plant

Like bottles, cans, and paper, water can be recycled too. MMWD recycles up to two million gallons of water a day at our Las Gallinas Valley Reclamation Plant. The water we recycle is wastewater that has been treated by the Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District. At our recycled water treatment plant we filter it and treat it further so that it meets the most stringent standards in the United States for recycled water. The finished water is crystal clear, odorless, and free of harmful bacteria. It is similar in quality to swimming pool water.

The recycled water is then distributed via a separate pipeline system to 350 customers in northern San Rafael, Terra Linda, and Marinwood who use it for irrigation, toilet flushing, and other non-drinking purposes. Using recycled water for these purposes saves over 900 acre-feet of potable water annually—enough to meet the needs of 2,700 MMWD households for one year.

With our limited water supplies, the use of recycled water might appear to be a panacea. However, the biggest obstacle to expanded use of recycled water is cost. Recycled water requires a separate distribution system to avoid the possibility of cross-connections with potable water. Our current system required the construction of 25 miles of pipeline, 3 storage tanks, and 4 pump stations, in addition to retrofitting each customer’s private irrigation system to separate it from the potable system. Significantly expanding the recycled water distribution system could be twice as expensive as desalination, another water source being considered by MMWD.

Despite the challenges, we continue to explore ways to increase the use of recycled water. This year we are designing an expansion of the distribution system to bring recycled water to the Peacock Gap Golf Course in San Rafael.

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A Brief History of Recycled Water in MMWD

by Bob Castle

Construction of Las Gallinas Valley Reclamation Plant (1989)

This weekend the Las Gallinas Valley Reclamation Plant, MMWD’s two-million-gallon-per-day (MGD) recycled water treatment facility, will celebrate its 20th birthday. The plant was dedicated October 17, 1989—just hours before the Loma Prieta earthquake struck. (Fortunately the new plant came through unscathed.)

MMWD’s water recycling program dates back even further to the drought of 1976-77 when a pilot plant, built in 1975, was used for drought relief. We completed a permanent one-MGD treatment plant in 1981 in partnership with the Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District. The 1989 dedication marked the doubling of the plant’s production capacity to two-MGD. 

Traditionally, recycled water is used for landscape irrigation. In order to make the most efficient use of the treatment facility and distribution system, MMWD pioneered the use of recycled water for other purposes. In fact, our north San Rafael service area is home to:

• The first air-conditioning cooling tower in California to use recycled water
• The first car wash in California to use recycled water (Betts Marin Car Wash)
• The first commercial laundry in the United States to use recycled water (Nazareth House)
• The first use of recycled water for a single family residence in Northern California (Northview Development)
• The first penal institution to use recycled water for toilet flushing (Marin County Jail)

To help pave the way for an expanded use of recycled water in Marin and around the state, MMWD initiated several pieces of legislation that authorized new uses of recycled water. The new laws resulted in the creation of low-interest loans to fund water recycling projects;  the ability for public agencies to require dual plumbing in new construction so that toilets can be flushed with recycled water; and the authorization of dual plumbing systems for office buildings, theaters, auditoriums, schools, hotels, apartments, barracks, condominiums, dormitories, jails, and prisons.

Today, Marin has about 20 buildings that use recycled water to flush toilets and urinals—more than anywhere else in the US except for Irvine, California (40 buildings).

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