Copyrighted. Rights are owned by Santa Clara Valley Water District. Copyright Holder has given Institution permission to provide access to the digitized work online. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the Copyright Holder. In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Description
Abstract: The State of California and several local and regional water agencies offer rebate programs for removing turf and replacing it with low-water use landscapes, and/or rebate programs for replacing conventional irrigation equipment with high-efficiency irrigation equipment. Confirming and quantifying program water savings would enable agencies to more thoroughly assess the benefit provided by these programs. A study was conducted at the Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD) to determine the water savings associated with turf removal and irrigation equipment rebates offered through its Landscape Rebate Program (LRP). The study focused on single-family residences, which comprise the largest LRP participant type. Water use billing data for LRP participants was obtained from 10 retailers within the SCVWD service area. Water use up to three years prior to installation of a new landscape or irrigation equipment was compared to water use after installation, for a period up to five years. The following rebate types were studied: (1) conversion of turf area to a landscape of low-water use species in conjunction with drip irrigation (LND), (2) conversion of timer-based automatic irrigation controller to weather based irrigation controller with a rain shut-off device (WBIC+RN),(3) conversion of conventional nozzles to high-efficiency nozzles (HEN), and (4) conversion of conventional nozzles and sprinkler bodies to high efficiency nozzles and spray bodies with pressure regulation and/or check valves (HEN+BOD). LND savings were marginally significant the first year following conversion, and statistically significant for each study year afterwards. LND average water savings incrementally increased each year following conversion. Annual average LND savings were on average 31 gallons per square foot per year (g/ft2/y) for years 2 to 5 when savings were significant, and were 48 g/ft2/y during the fifth year following conversion. The annual water savings for WBIC+RN were statistically significant each year following conversion, incrementally increased each year following conversion, and were on average 9 g/ft2/y. The annual water savings for HEN were marginally significant in the first year, significant in the following two years, and were 1,243 g/unit/y on average. Annual savings for HEN+BOD were significant in the first year following conversion, and were 1,661 g/unit/y on average. This study shows that the turf removal and irrigation equipment rebate programs can be successful in achieving water conservation goals.
Type
text
Format
Copy Book
Identifier
csjvwd_000442 ark:/13960/t6k155v83
Provenance
Santa Clara Valley Water District Library California Revealed is supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
