Almaden Resident

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Photograph by Vicki Thompson

Going Green: Kitty Monahan landscaped her New Almaden yard with native California plants to conserve water.

DUsing more water during heat wave is another cause of power outages

By Monica Heger

Summer typically sees an increase in water usage, with swimming pools, sprinklers and other ways of keeping cool. What most people probably don't know, however, is that increased water usage can be responsible for power outages.

"Water is the biggest energy use in California," said Mike di Marco of the Santa Clara Valley Water District. "Water uses 19 percent of the state's electricity and 32 percent of the natural gas."

Di Marco said while people are good about conserving energy during heat waves by not using their washers and dryers and turning up their thermostats, they are still watering their plants.

"Fifty percent of a household's water use is for the exterior of the house," di Marco said. "The ironic thing about this heat wave is that when people use water outdoors, they increase their chances that they will be without power."

Di Marco said the water district has two programs to help residents conserve water.

The district recently started Water Wise House Call, which enables Santa Clara County residents to make an appointment for a technician to come out to their home to do a free audit and show them how to save water.

The water-efficient landscape rebate program reimburses homeowners up to $1,000 if they convert their lawn into something that would use less water, such as turf or a California native garden. Businesses can also receive a rebate of up to $10,000. According to di Marco, removing one's lawn can greatly reduce the amount of water a homeowner uses.

"An average-size lawn can use 10,000 gallons of water in the summer," said Alrie Middlebrook, owner of Middlebrook Gardens, a San Jose-based company dedicated to sustainable landscaping.

Middlebrook said that going lawn-free does not mean a front yard made of dirt.

"You can have a beautiful green yard without using that much water," she said.

The answer is converting to California native plants. Middlebrook said plants that are native to California rely on only rainfall because they are already adapted to the climate. Some examples are the California lilac, the manzanita, different varieties of sage, hummingbird fuschia, milkweed, ornamental grasses, sunflowers and wild irises.

"There are 6,000 native plants, and 3,000 of them only grow here," Middlebrook said.

Middlebrook believes it's necessary to get rid of lawns.

"Especially with global warming and more people moving into the state, we can't afford to have millions of people in California with lawns anymore," she said.

Middlebrook has helped many San Jose residents lose their lawns, including Almaden resident Kitty Monahan.

"I'm not much of a green thumb," Monahan said. "I'm more into animals and history and mining than I am into gardening."

She said the California native garden that Middlebrook helped her install has saved her tremendous time and effort.

"I couldn't keep a lawn going. I was spending too much time watering," Monahan said.

Losing her lawn not only saved Monahan time and effort, it also significantly cut down on her water bill.

"My water bill is very low now," Monahan said. "I have three horses that I give water to, but the bill is still very low."

For those not ready to lose their lawn, Middlebrook said there are still ways to conserve water during the summer months. She advises putting a layer of mulch around plants. The mulch keeps moisture in the soil, protecting the roots and keeping them cool.

"I compare soil to our skin," Middlebrook said. "It's a living organism, and we should keep it covered up and protected. You don't want it to be exposed to the sun, so you should keep it covered with organic mulch, wood chips or anything to keep it from drying out."

For more information on Middlebrook Gardens and California native gardens, visit www.losethelawn.com or www.middlebrook-gardens.com. For more information on the water district's programs, visit www.scvwd.dst.ca.us.