We moved in to our new house with the goal of spending no more than $50 per month on water while growing 80% of our fruits and vegetables. Last summer (2014) we got close to getting 80% of the produce we eat from our yard, but each time a water bill came I was shattered. One month last summer reached $108. I started to think that $50 per month was unrealistically low. This summer, however, has just ended on a more promising note.
From May 20 to July 20 of this summer we used 55% less water compared to 2014. That was 9,724 gallons compared to 21,692 gallons in 2014. And from July 20 to September 20 we used 39% less water compared to the same period in 2014, or 8,228 gallons compared to 13,464 gallons in 2014. So on average we reduced our summer water use by 47%, or to round off, we cut our use in half.
The important thing to note is that the production from the yard has remained basically the same while reducing our use of water. Our freezer is currently full of tomatoes from the yard, there are more peppers still in the garden than we could ever consume, the avocado trees are carrying fruit, we ate dozens of apricots in June, it’s almost time to start harvesting the sweet potatoes, the orange tree has hundreds of fruit for next summer, etc. So why and how?
The main reason, I believe, is the switch of irrigation methods from overhead sprinkler to drip. Last summer almost everything was watered with sprinklers, but this summer every single plant has been watered with drip. In the vegetable beds alone, which cover about 1,100 square feet, I estimate that I used about half the amount of water that I did last year because with last summer’s sprinklers I was watering paths and other areas where plant roots didn’t reach. This was a waste.
With the drip lines this summer I have been much more efficient since there is no more watering of paths, and also I can apply different amounts of water to different sections of the vegetable beds. For example, once the rows of onions had bulbed out in early May I closed the valves on their drip lines and let them mature using only the residual moisture in the soil. This saved weeks’ worth of water to those rows. With the overhead sprinkler of the past, this sort of nuanced application of water to specific rows of vegetables had been impossible.
In addition to the help of increased efficiency attained through using drip irrigation, we got plain old lucky this summer compared to last summer. We were blessed with two significant summer rains — so rare for Southern California. On July 18 and 19 we got 1.65 inches, and then on September 15 we got 1.5 inches. It was actually the wettest summer on record for San Diego, although that fact can be misleading if you don’t remember that summers in San Diego are normally without any precipitation.
These unexpected summer rains not only fed the plants but also filled up the rainwater tank. As of this date, the last day of September, I have still not emptied the rainwater in the tank. It’s even possible that we’ll get our first fall rain before I use all of that stored rain. Back in the spring, I had never imagined such a scenario.
Nevertheless, we have had an exceptionally hot summer. According to the National Weather Service, most of Southern California had a September that was about 5% warmer than normal.
Going forward, I’m wondering if I should continue to aim at keeping our monthly water bills at an average of $50. For 2015 so far, our average has been $58.15. This comprises the high-use summer months offset by the low-use winter months. (This includes yard water and household water, by the way.) It now seems possible to reach that $50 average.
However, I’m thinking I should alter the goal from a dollar amount to a certain number of gallons since that’s really all I have control of. The dollar amount is largely controlled by the rates the water district decides to charge, and I have no say in that matter. Moreover, the water district has increased the rate three times in the last two years. Today, our rates are about 25% higher than they were when we moved in, in 2013. Surely, that trend will continue.
How about a new goal of averaging 4,000 gallons per month for the year?
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