ARCHITEX ANGLE
a focus on
Saving Water
Photos by Shawn Paul Lucien
Xeriscape landscape with grey water.
T
he recent 51st Earth Day should be a big reminder of how essential and precious water is as one of our most essential natural resources. Our awareness of water management grows while historic chronic California droughts require a new focus on conservation. Sonoma, in response to the pending drought, elected to inflate what has become an annual event: a rubber dam across the Russian River to collect water and dispense to various county reservoirs. That’s one solution to a crisis. In January, our North CHRIS Bay was expected to have CRAIKER normal rainfall. But the low 2020-2021 rainfall total was recorded at 11.32 inches, or 31% of our average 37.01 inches, the second lowest rainfall recorded since 1893. At the same time, per capita water 14 | DISTINCTIVE PROPERTIES
CHRIS CRAIKER
consumption is increasing. Water and sewer rates have increased dramatically over the last decade (100–400%); and new water supply options are too costly or altogether unavailable. Some good news: our sanitary discharges are down 40% over the decade. Woo, woo! The Napa Valley Drought Contingency Plan (DCP) is a task force of local water managers using a federal grant to assist local agencies for the second drought in two years. Napa County has been extremely lucky that our local reservoirs, while low, are not requiring significant reductions in our personal water usage. But that is inevitably going to change. Voluntary reductions from previous summer uses are suggested at 15% by reducing yard watering, avoiding over-spraying, and employing hand-watering and drip irrigation opposed to water-guzzling sprinklers. These are not mandatory....not yet. Clearly, we need to find simple ways of reducing our water usage as new and existing water resources are becoming increasingly scarce throughout the
North Bay. As a practicing architect in Marin in the ‘70s, I experienced extreme droughts for years. The mandatory requirements were harsh but essential. Emergency pipelines across the San Rafael/Richmond Bridge help, and even Native/American rain dancers were employed. Nobody could water their lawns or gardens, showers were severely limited, heavy fines were levied if you exceeded your rationed amount, swimming pools went empty and dishes never looked clean. Neighbors sometimes hitched hoses to their next door neighbors sources, like stealing internet today. Nowadays we are better prepared. Water-saving has become ubiquitous, but we need to do more. In addition, there is the increasing recognition of both water and energy savings by implementing water saving initiatives. Builders and professionals must do a better job at conserving water, especially during construction. We generally think of water efficiency as low flow fixtures and high MAY 2021
