Waterwise Tips

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General Drought Tips

Even in years with plentiful winter rainfall, summers in Santa Clara County will always be dry. Planning your landscaping and gardens for summer dry conditions will put you ahead of the game for future droughts and water restrictions. Here are some useful tips and links for homeowners and gardeners who want to manage their garden and landscape in a responsible, waterwise manner. For specific rules on water usage and irrigation limits, check your water service.

• Guidelines for Managing Drought in the Urban Landscape: Useful tips from UC for managing drought conditions
• Keeping Plantings Alive under Drought or Water Restrictions
• How to save lots of water on lawns and landscapes without replacing them
• Video: Make Every Drop Count: Home Gardening and Landscaping in a Drought Year

Trees

• Tree Ring Irrigation Contraption: Saving trees in a drought
• Save trees first: Tips to keep them alive during drought

Landscape and Turf

• Landscape Water Management: Questions & answers about water conservation and drought in the landscape
• Waterwise Plants: Information about landscaping with with waterwise plants.
• Drought, Water Conservation, Landscape Water Use - Some Perspective: Thoughts about research and other data related to landscape water use in California.

Graywater

• Graywater: Appropriate usage of household graywater in the landscape.
• Also see the Water District link on laundry graywater.

Water District Information

• The Santa Clara County Water district offers programs to help their customers conserve water. Here are some useful links:
• Landscape Conversion Rebate Program: Rebates for converting high water use landscapes or pools. Note that properties must be inspected prior to conversion.
• Laundry to Landscape Rebate Program: Rebates for installing laundry graywater system
• Water Retailers: List of water retailers with links to specific municipal restrictions
• Report Water Waste: Report water waste in Santa Clara County
• Newsletter: Monthly email newsletter from the Water District

Waterwise Tips 

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