Water Rates and Conservation Measures to Implement
On Thursday July 10, 2009 the California Public Utilities Commission approved changes requested by Cal Am for their Central Coast customers. This represents a significant increase in the cost of water delivered to the home or business starting in January 2010. Rates listed below are per 1 unit of water or 100 cubic feet or approximately 748 gallons. A water allotment will be established for each residence based on the number of people in the home and the size of the lot. Once the water allotment is exceeded for a tier you then will be charged at the higher rate of the next tier until the water allotment is exceeded. Once you reach tier 5 all additional water used will be charged at the tier 5 rate. This rate schedule was approved to encourage residents to conserve water and use less. Cal Am expects the rates may become effective in February 2010.
Residential Tier Current Rate New Rate____Emergency Rate
Tier 1 $2.70 $2.75 $2.75
Tier 2 $4.42 $3.98 $3.98
Tier 3 $6.14 $7.96 $7.96
Tier 4 $7.86 $15.92 $23.89
Tier 5 $14.73 $27.87 $35.84
Commercial Tier Current Rate New Rate
Tier 1 $3.43 $3.46
Tier 2 $10.31 $10.38
Tier 3 ------ $24.23
What can the average homeowner do to decrease water usage and not sacrifice quality of life? Actually there are many things you can do to reduce water usage. Cal Am (www.amwater.com)also provides an excellent service by providing free water audits. If you are served by Cal Am call them at 831-646-3205 and make an appointment. Cal Am will send an experienced water auditor to your home to review usage inside and outside of the home. Cal Am has free water saving devices they will help you install. These include low flow 1.5 gpm faucet aerators, 1.5 gpm shower heads, and displacement bags for your toilet to reduce the amount used per flush. Most homes built in the last 10 years have 2.5 gpm aerators and shower heads. Changing to 1.5 gpm will decrease usage by 40% with virtually no noticeable difference. If you don't have low flow dual flush toilets using a displacement bag will save you up to 1 gallon per flush. This all adds up quickly to reduce your inside water usage.
If you own a single family home with a yard, chances are very high that over 60% of water usage is for irrigating landscape. For example, 1000 square feet of lawn area uses approximately 30,000 gallons of water per year. Changing from lawn to artificial turf or drought tolerant plants on drip irrigation will reduce your water usage significantly. For a full listing of how to reduce your internal and external water usage read on.
Reducing your residential internal water usage-
1) Use 1.5 gpm faucet aerators and shower heads
2) Use dual flush toilets or install free displacement bags
3) Only run your dishwasher with a full load
4) Only run your clothes washer with a full load
5) Don't let the water run when you brush your teeth or shave
6) When you use water don't turn it on full blast unless you need to.
Note: Cal Am or the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District (MPWMD) provide the aerators, shower heads and displacement bags free of charge. Cal Am is located in Pacific Grove and MPWMD is located in Ryan Ranch. You can go to their office directly or schedule a free audit with Cal Am at 831-646-3205.
Reducing your residential external water usage-
1) If you have an irrigation controller for your landscape be in control of the water times for each zone and how many days per week watering occurs. If you have maintenance gardeners setting your irrigation controller they will basically determine how much water you use and also the cost you will pay. Gardeners are incented to keep everything green and will increase the amount of time for a zone because one plant or one brown spot in a lawn occurs. A better way would be to add one emitter to the specific plant and review the spray coverage on the lawn. Each homeowner should be in control of the irrigation controller and know how many days per week is set to water and how much time is scheduled by zone.
2) Most landscapes incorporate drought tolerant plants on the central coast. Drought tolerant is drought tolerant!! Most drought tolerant landscapes are being over watered. Cut back on the number of irrigation days and zone times until you see a decrease in the quality of the plants. At that point you have cut back too much so adjust until the right level. Overall this will significantly cut your water usage.
3) Measure the moisture content of the soil around plants and in lawn with the use of a free moisture meter from Cal Am or the MPWMD. If your landscape shows wet reduce the watering times or number of days watered during the week.
4) Turn off your irrigation controller in the winter after the first rain. If occasional storms continue to come in you may not need to turn it on until after the rainy season. Use your free moisture meter to determine if you need additional irrigation between storms.
5) Change your landscape to drought tolerant plants on drip irrigation.
6) Use drip irrigation and eliminate high water use sprinklers.
7) Use mulch or compost around plants to reduce evaporation
8) Use bark or gorilla hair over bare ground to reduce evaporation.
9) Remove emitters and insert plugs where plants have died and won't be replaced.
10) Thin out or remove plants that have grown together due to over planting when the landscape was installed and insert plugs in the drip line.
11) For lawn areas use high quality MP rotators that provide excellent coverage with less water versus standard pop-up sprayers.
12) Install a rainwater harvesting system to augment the amount of water you have available.
Note: Get your compost, mulch, and bark at the Last Chance Mercantile at the Monterey Regional Waste Management District (MRWMD) in Marina off Del Monte Blvd.
Residential Tier Current Rate New Rate____Emergency Rate
Tier 1 $2.70 $2.75 $2.75
Tier 2 $4.42 $3.98 $3.98
Tier 3 $6.14 $7.96 $7.96
Tier 4 $7.86 $15.92 $23.89
Tier 5 $14.73 $27.87 $35.84
Commercial Tier Current Rate New Rate
Tier 1 $3.43 $3.46
Tier 2 $10.31 $10.38
Tier 3 ------ $24.23
What can the average homeowner do to decrease water usage and not sacrifice quality of life? Actually there are many things you can do to reduce water usage. Cal Am (www.amwater.com)also provides an excellent service by providing free water audits. If you are served by Cal Am call them at 831-646-3205 and make an appointment. Cal Am will send an experienced water auditor to your home to review usage inside and outside of the home. Cal Am has free water saving devices they will help you install. These include low flow 1.5 gpm faucet aerators, 1.5 gpm shower heads, and displacement bags for your toilet to reduce the amount used per flush. Most homes built in the last 10 years have 2.5 gpm aerators and shower heads. Changing to 1.5 gpm will decrease usage by 40% with virtually no noticeable difference. If you don't have low flow dual flush toilets using a displacement bag will save you up to 1 gallon per flush. This all adds up quickly to reduce your inside water usage.
If you own a single family home with a yard, chances are very high that over 60% of water usage is for irrigating landscape. For example, 1000 square feet of lawn area uses approximately 30,000 gallons of water per year. Changing from lawn to artificial turf or drought tolerant plants on drip irrigation will reduce your water usage significantly. For a full listing of how to reduce your internal and external water usage read on.
Reducing your residential internal water usage-
1) Use 1.5 gpm faucet aerators and shower heads
2) Use dual flush toilets or install free displacement bags
3) Only run your dishwasher with a full load
4) Only run your clothes washer with a full load
5) Don't let the water run when you brush your teeth or shave
6) When you use water don't turn it on full blast unless you need to.
Note: Cal Am or the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District (MPWMD) provide the aerators, shower heads and displacement bags free of charge. Cal Am is located in Pacific Grove and MPWMD is located in Ryan Ranch. You can go to their office directly or schedule a free audit with Cal Am at 831-646-3205.
Reducing your residential external water usage-
1) If you have an irrigation controller for your landscape be in control of the water times for each zone and how many days per week watering occurs. If you have maintenance gardeners setting your irrigation controller they will basically determine how much water you use and also the cost you will pay. Gardeners are incented to keep everything green and will increase the amount of time for a zone because one plant or one brown spot in a lawn occurs. A better way would be to add one emitter to the specific plant and review the spray coverage on the lawn. Each homeowner should be in control of the irrigation controller and know how many days per week is set to water and how much time is scheduled by zone.
2) Most landscapes incorporate drought tolerant plants on the central coast. Drought tolerant is drought tolerant!! Most drought tolerant landscapes are being over watered. Cut back on the number of irrigation days and zone times until you see a decrease in the quality of the plants. At that point you have cut back too much so adjust until the right level. Overall this will significantly cut your water usage.
3) Measure the moisture content of the soil around plants and in lawn with the use of a free moisture meter from Cal Am or the MPWMD. If your landscape shows wet reduce the watering times or number of days watered during the week.
4) Turn off your irrigation controller in the winter after the first rain. If occasional storms continue to come in you may not need to turn it on until after the rainy season. Use your free moisture meter to determine if you need additional irrigation between storms.
5) Change your landscape to drought tolerant plants on drip irrigation.
6) Use drip irrigation and eliminate high water use sprinklers.
7) Use mulch or compost around plants to reduce evaporation
8) Use bark or gorilla hair over bare ground to reduce evaporation.
9) Remove emitters and insert plugs where plants have died and won't be replaced.
10) Thin out or remove plants that have grown together due to over planting when the landscape was installed and insert plugs in the drip line.
11) For lawn areas use high quality MP rotators that provide excellent coverage with less water versus standard pop-up sprayers.
12) Install a rainwater harvesting system to augment the amount of water you have available.
Note: Get your compost, mulch, and bark at the Last Chance Mercantile at the Monterey Regional Waste Management District (MRWMD) in Marina off Del Monte Blvd.
