Drought Response

Cal Water has announced their intentions to move their Chico, Oroville, and Willows customers into the second stage of their Water Shortage Contingency Plan starting May 22. Homeowners who will be affected by this should have had an informative flier mailed by Cal Water to their home. Our clients and their landscapes are very important to us, so in light of Cal Water’s announcement, we wanted to take some time to put together some information to share with our clients and provide some guidance as we head into summer. Clients on wells, in water districts that do not rely on Cal Water, and in those areas in which Cal Water has not announced a move to the second stage will not be subject to these restrictions, however much of the following information will nonetheless be pertinent to all our clients.

Exterior Residential water use (including landscape irrigation) for all of California only accounted for an average total of 3.09% of all water use in California between 2011-2015¹, according to data pulled directly from the most recently released California Water Plan. Total urban water use per capita has continued to go down over the last 3 decades, even as California’s population has grown^{2 3}.

The benefits of green landscapes are many: oxygen production, carbon sequestration, rain capture, dust and erosion control, shade and energy savings in heating and cooling, wildlife habitat, food, beauty & ornament, recreation, enhanced property values, psychological well-being, and cultural & historic value⁴. Unfortunately, public policy and best horticultural practices don’t always align; but if there is anything we learned during the last drought, it was that we do not have to sacrifice our green spaces, even with much stricter watering restrictions than we are facing now.

Below you will find links to important topics related to your landscape, the drought, and our services. If you have any questions or concerns regarding anything on these pages, please contact our office at (530) 891-1551 or fill out our contact form.

Recommendations for How to Irrigate
Pulse Watering
Fertilizer & The Drought
Mow Height
Keep Your Trees Healthy
WaterLoc

1 water.ca.gov
2 ppic.org
3 s.giannini.ucop.edu
4 ucanr.edu