PROVIDING URBAN STYLE
WATER CONSERVATION
SERVICES TO
AGRICULTURAL
RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES
Amanda Platt
Project Manager
California Association of RCDs
Mark Roberson, PhD
Consulting Scientist
Sacramento Area Water Forum
Annual CARCD Conference
November 15, 2013
American
River Basin
Project
Objectives
• Provide technical assistance & incentives
for water conservation activities on
agricultural-residential properties.
• Improve water supply reliability & meet
ecosystem goals for ARB.
• Conserve water resources in the basin.
• Engage non-traditional partners to
support water conservation efforts.
• Provide service to disadvantaged
communities (state defined as 80% of median
household income)
Project Partners
• California Association of RCDs
manages and implements program
• Water Forum
technical support on outreach,
monitoring, and reporting
• American River Basin Integrated
Regional Water Management Plan
administers Prop 84 program funding
• Sacramento Central Basin
Groundwater Authority
cost share partner
• Sloughhouse RCD
outreach partner
• Placer RCD
outreach partner
Typical Urban
Water
Conservation
Services
• Educational campaign through media and
water purveyor
• Survey of interior and exterior water use
• Rebates available for: toilets, clothes,
irrigation controllers, and irrigation
system upgrades
• Irrigation scheduling support
• Services are provided by trained
technicians
• Professional staff for both office and field
work
• Statewide support through the California
Urban Water Conservation Council
Typical
Agricultural
Conservation
Services
• Provided by water & irrigation districts.
• Agencies typically have professional staff.
• Support through the UC Cooperative
Extension, County Ag. Commissioner,
Natural Resource Conservation Service, &
commodity groups.
• Districts can collect funds from end-users
to support conservation activities.
• Provides business level services such as a
cost-share on 80 acres of drip irrigation,
tile drainage, or irrigation scheduling.
Agricultural
Residential
Properties
•
Typically self-supplied
through domestic wells
•
Typically no municipal or
irrigation district
connection
•
Property size from 2 arce-20
acres.
•
Typically no water meter
•
Mixture of landscape types
– turf, trees and shrubs,
vineyards, orchards, dust
control, etc.
•
Conservation potential for
both interior and exterior
water uses
Challenges
Varied land-use results in the need to tailor BMPs
There are difficulties quantifying water-use & water savings without
metering
Elk Grove, CA
Wilton, CA
Rebates &
Incentives
Requirements
• No new irrigated areas
• Landowners must convert existing
irrigated area to a higher water-use
efficiency, reduce the amount of water
used, or a combination of the two.
Rebates Available
• Upgrade irrigation controller
• Upgrade existing irrigation system
• Change plant material from high water use to
low water use
• Rainwater Harvest System (Rain Barrels)
• Greywater “Laundry to Landscape” System
• Payment for labor is available
Program
Marketing
Community Approach
• Selecting applicable communities and
outreaching to community leaders.
• Community Leaders help to engage
community members resulting in a more
captive audience.
• Conduct workshops to CPACs,
Homeowner Associations, and other
community groups.
• Participate in community events.
• D.I.Y. Installation Workshop: participants
help to install BMP at a host site.
Program
Monitoring
•
All data, notes, & photos
are collected onsite using
iPad.
•
Application calculates
pertinent information
onsite.
•
Reports are generated
onsite & emailed to
customer
•
Reports includes peak &
non-peak period runtime
schedules.
Thank You!
Sacramento Central Groundwater
Authority
Managing Groundwater Resources
in Central Sacramento County
This project is funded by the State of California Department of Water
Resources, Proposition 84 funding and help from our generous local partners.