Stressing the need to recharge the county’s threatened aquifers, a local company is actively campaigning for increased public awareness on various programs that provide water conservation incentives. Scotts Valley Sprinkler & Pipe Supply touts the two new rebates â€" rain barrels and drip irrigation â€" added by the Soquel Creek Water District into its conservation incentive program. On Apr. 20, Scotts Valley Sprinkler & Pipe sponsored a rain harvesting seminar where landscape architect Bobby Markowitz talked about the importance of conserving water and the different ways they can be rewarded for it, such as the conservation rebates offered by Soquel Creek District.
The district announced in February that customers with small rain barrels are now eligible for rebates, in addition to an existing program that gives up to $750 rebate for large rain catchment systems ranging from 200 to 3,000 gallons. Soquel Creek District educational coordinator Vai Campbell said customers can now collect a rain barrel rebate of up to $25 per barrel of 40-200 gallons.
Scotts Valley Sprinkler & Pipe marketing coordinator Shelly Maple said rain barrels are easy to install, and are available in different sizes that can store from 55 to 13,000 gallons of water.
Maple said a typical 1,000 square-foot roof can collect 600 gallons of water for every inch of rain. With an average rainfall of 30 inches in Santa Cruz County, large containers could easily be filled during the winter storms to water the garden during the summer months.
Also, Soquel Creek District is giving rebate incentives to customers that convert sprinkler systems to drip irrigation. A drip irrigation system applies water more precisely to plant root zones. If a home or business converts a landscape size area of 1,000 square feet, they may be eligible for a $250 rebate.
An irrigation system converted from overhead spray to drip irrigation is estimated to save a typical home landscaping about nine gallons of water per square foot per year or roughly 10,000 gallons of water per year for a typical landscape.
The district’s conservation manager Ron Duncan said they hope that the combined benefit of potential water savings and the rebate will entice customers to switch to drip irrigation.
Water Conservation a Priority
Soquel Creek District manager Laura Brown said conservation is high on the list of the agency’s priorities, warning that coastal wells are in danger of contamination from seawater intrusion if current pumping levels continue.
“To protect our groundwater resources, we must conserve and develop a new source of water supply. In the long run, our existing aquifers will not be able to meet water demands from the communities we serve,” Brown said.
Brown said, however, that annual water consumption by Soquel Creek District customers dropped by 220 million gallons over the past five years. A typical single family residence uses about 70 gallons per day per person. The statewide average is about 130 gallons per day per person.
Officials attribute the significant decrease in water use to the District’s conservation incentive program.
