"Do you think the rain will hurt the rhubarb?" Remember that old line?
The proper response to the question was "Not if they keep it in cans."
Oh, you kid! It always got a laugh, but I don't know why. Rain isn't
funny. We never have the right amount of that precious stuff. There's
always either too much or too little and, either way, it's a problem.
Here in La Crescenta, the deep underground wells need lots of rain for
recharging. This year we have had practically none. The Crescenta Valley
Water District can pump its wells to a certain level, and then it will
have to stop to avoid damaging the pumps through ingestion of sand and
gravel. That means the wells will be shut down, leaving us short of the
water we need.
How do we go about replacing the water that we cannot take from our
wells to fill our swimming pools, water our green lawns, and allow us
those long, luxurious soaks in the bathtub? Well, I suppose we have to
buy it, and that becomes expensive for the CV Water District and,
eventually, for you, the customer. You are going to have to pay more for
less.
The key to successful survival during a dry season lies in
conservation. We are going to start out by reducing our usage by 25%. We
can do that. Take a look at last year's water bills. How much did you use
during this month last year? Let's say it was 12,000 gallons. Then this
year you must reduce your usage by 3,000 gallons -- and if you are
smart, you'll start doing it now.
Remember those great posters of the '70s that read "Save water. Shower
with a friend" and "Conserve water. Take a bath with your dog"? Sounds
like great fun, and I guess it would help, but if you carry a 5-gallon
pail into the bathroom and use it to haul your bath water out to your
plants for a nice drink, it will help even more.
You can drain your washing machine onto your trees and shrubs, too,
if you have no disease in the family. Trees need deep watering to fight
off such invaders as bark-boring beetles, and gray water does the job
just as well as the sparkling clear liquid that we drink. And no one will
fault you if you stop hosing off your driveway and your sidewalks to
remove leaves and needles. A broom will do the job just as well, and
swinging it will give you a bit of exercise.
Use your dishwasher only once a day. That will save not only water,
but also electricity. And don't run either your dishwasher or your
clothes washer until they are full.
Most of us are guilty of overwatering our yards. We put in sprinklers
