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www.sonomacountywater.org
SV Groundwater Use Efficiency: Water Conservation ‘Off the Grid’
Carrie PollardPrincipal Water Programs
Specialist
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
• AB715: Toilets sold must be ≤ 1.28 gpf by 2014
• SB407: All residential properties must have low- flow 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
EnergyStar 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
Dairy Name OrganicNumber ofMilk Cows
Water Use(gpd)
Water Use(1)
(gpd per Cow)Dairy #1 Yes 400 13,121 29.46
Dairy #2 Yes 215 7,640 29.51Dairy #3 Yes 200 5,115 23.47Dairy #4 Yes 850 30,482 29.69Dairy #5 No 260 12,008 38.88Dairy #6 No 300 11,830 34.99Average 371 13,366 31.00
Average Dairy Water Use
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
www.sonomacountywater.org
SV Groundwater Use Efficiency: Water Conservation ‘Off the Grid’
Carrie PollardPrincipal Water Programs
Specialist
