No Matter Where You Live… You Live in a Watershed
County of Orange Public Facilities and Resources Department, Watershed & Coastal Resources Division
Aliso-San Onofre Watershed Profile
Water Pollution and the Orange County Watershed
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A Public Service Announcement from the Orange County Stormwater Program "If stormwater pollution was rubber duckies it wouldn't matter what went down our storm drains. But it does. Because stormwater pollution is not rubber duckies. It's trash, oil, cigarette butts and pet waste flowing, untreated, to the sea. That's not good for any of us because we all live downstream. Clean water; It means quality of life." |
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No Matter Where You Live… You Live in a Watershed County of Orange Public Facilities and Resources Department, Watershed & Coastal Resources Division Aliso-San Onofre Watershed Profile
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Water Conservation
"Rainfall in coastal Southern California is at near-average levels for the year to date, following an initially very dry early winter for the Southland. The Colorado River, Southern California's largest source of imported water, is experiencing sustained drought. The current water year is shaping up to be the Colorado River Basin's fourth consecutive dry year, and total river system water storage has dropped to 60% of capacity. For the first time, California has been limited to its basic annual apportionment of 4.4 MAF from the river, resulting in reduced supplies to Southern California. The region's other imported supplies - from the SWP and the City of Los Angeles' aqueduct -- will also be below normal." California Water Supply Summary 2003
Municipal Water District of Orange
County
H2ouse.org Water Saver Home
WaterWiser - American Water Works Association
GAIAM -
a lifestyle company
Real Goods - Products for
an Ecologically Sustainable Future
"Landscapes are essential to the quality of life in California…."
"
Landscape design, installation, and maintenance can and should be water efficient" (Excerpts
from: Title 7, Div. 1, Ch. 3, Article 10.8 (d) and (e) of the Government Code)
The California State Legislature
recognizes the importance of landscaping for recreation, fire protection, erosion
control, enhancing environmental conditions
and replacing ecosystems in areas of development. However, California faces
a real challenge to meet the water needs of a growing population with a limited
supply of water. To meet this challenge, water use in landscapes must become
more efficient. There are many ways to accomplish this goal and even modest
improvements can have a cumulative effect in saving a great deal of water.CDWR Landscape Water Use Program
Xeriscaping to Reduce Your Use
Nationally, communities have been faced with increased demands on existing water supplies. Consequently, there is a greater focus on water conservation, not just in times of drought, but in anticipation of future population growth. Water can no longer be considered a limitless resource. A philosophy of conservation of water through creative landscaping has engendered the new term, xeriscape.
The term xeriscape is derived from the Greek word xeros meaning dry, combined with landscaping, thus xeriscaping. The term was coined by the Front Range Xeriscape Task Force of the Denver Water Department in 1981. The goal of a xeriscape is to create a visually attractive landscape that uses plants selected for their water efficiency. Properly maintained, a xeriscape can easily use less than one-half the water of a traditional landscape. Once established, a xeriscape should require less maintenance than turf landscape.
Organics Outlook:
Xeriscaping
Xeriscaping & Southwestern
Gardening Forum
Mediterranean
Garden Society - Mediterranean climate gardening throughout the world
Tree
of Life Nursery -
California Native Plants
High Country
Gardens - Drought tolerant plants, perennials, and xeriscaping for western
gardens