Aug. 7 Watershed Council Meeting.
The next meeting of the Ventura River Watershed Council will be on Thursday, August 7, 2014, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, in the Topping Room of the Foster Library, 651 E. Main Street.
We will get an update from Elizabeth Martinez, Ventura County Watershed Protection District, on the completion of the San Antonio Creek Spreading Grounds project. The spreading grounds will divert surface water for recharge of the Ojai Valley Groundwater Basin: an estimated average of 126 acre-feet up to a maximum of 914 acre-feet per year. The drawing below outlines the projects’s design.
San Antonio Creek Spreading Grounds
An important objective of the August meeting is review of the draft Findings prepared by staff for the watershed management plan. The Findings summarize those Ventura River watershed characteristics, strengths, and challenges that Watershed Council stakeholders find to be most significant. Findings are a very important part of the plan that distill down the key information into digestible bullet points.
Here are the draft Findings. If possible, please send me any comments you have ahead of the meeting (in Word in Track Changes preferably), as this will help make the discussion at the meeting more effective and efficient.
We’ll also be discussing drafts of the watershed management plan’s implementation campaigns; the campaigns being another central element of the plan. The draft campaigns will be distributed next Monday, July 24, 2014.
The state’s new resolution mandating more ambitious measures to curb urban water waste will also be discussed (see article below).
Here is the agenda. I’ll be sending out additional meeting materials next week.
New Statewide Mandate to Reduce Outdoor Urban Water Use or Face Fines
On July 15, 2014, the State Water Resources Control Board passed Resolution No. 2014-0038 which declares certain types of water waste a criminal infraction in the state. The regulations are aimed at conservation for urban residents, providing fines for using water inconsistent with the conservation measures. Among the measures aimed at curbing water use, the state has proposed restricting activities on individuals including:
- The application of potable water to outdoor landscapes in a manner that causes runoff such that water flows onto adjacent property, non-irrigated areas, private and public walkways, roadways, parking lots, or structures;
- The use of a hose that dispenses potable water to wash a motor vehicle, except where the hose is fitted with a shut-off nozzle or device attached to it that causes it to cease dispensing water immediately when not in use;
- The application of potable water to driveways and sidewalks; and
- The use of potable water in a fountain or other decorative water feature, except where the water is part of a recirculating system.
Performing any of the above activities subjects the offender to civil fines or criminal penalties, punishable by a fine of up to $500 for each day in which the violation occurs.
Additionally, urban water suppliers and public water suppliers are required to implement water restrictions on outdoor irrigation of ornamental landscapes or turf with potable water.
The regulations are scheduled to take effect on August 1, 2014, and the restrictions will be active for a period of nine months, unless water availability conditions change.
State Water Resources Control Board’s Media Release.
Extreme Lawn Makeover Contest; Entries due Aug. 3.
The VCReporter is holding a lawn makeover contest. Those who have converted their lawns to drought-tolerant gardens this year are eligible to win $200 in cash.
Send pictures of your landscape before and after to savewater@vcreporter.com for a chance to win prizes. Entry deadline is Aug. 3.
The VCReporter article.
Aug. 16 – Free Rainwater Capture & Graywater Workshop
Casitas Municipal Water District will host a Rainwater Capture/Graywater Workshop on Saturday, August 16, 2014. Learn how to install your own graywater system according to standards in Ventura County. The event is free, and will be held from 9:00 to noon at Oak View Park & Resource Center, 555 Mahoney Avenue, Oak View. RSVP to Ron Merkling at rmerckling@casitaswater.com or 805/649-2251, x118 for more information.