Landscape Management, September 2009

A little bit of logic To be dfe tilc restrictions necd to make sensc asserts Doug BelUlcn tOnSCTV uion manager of the Soucilem Nevada Vater Authority in Las Veglls Dict lting the time you lan water doesnt make sense IxCIuse different systems dcli er ater differently Bcnnen sayS hen pt Ople creatC l iws and policies that are hard to cnforce it dri eS me nu They arc knee jerk reactions Iben thinb S go aw y and l COple try something else 11lose knt e tcrk TC l1cUons can be avoided he adds by worl ing with people in the Gn en Industry The Grct Il Industry has the higgest stakc in water collSCr ation Bennett says People need to underst lnd thcirchoices Since 2002 the Las Veg ts Valley has reduced itS overall water consumption by about 205 billion glliions despite the arrival of 400000 new residentS and almost 40 million annual visitors Landscape contractors t lll and should lISC the rebl l lat ions to sell other sclVices After all they are C uippe 1 to lift the b Lrden of w 1tcr restriction compliance from their customers Understanding the river Pcople in c 1Iifornia Ncw Mexico Vt lh Colorado Nevada and Arizona delK nd on the Colorado Ri ve r which has suffered historic drought the past nine rears two thirds its non nal average Johnson S 1YS Arizona and NL 3da both of which have 1LtI population growth in the U S are more dcpcndent on the rivcr than Ut lh and Co orJdo which h wcnt used their allotments Ine Colorado River which nourishes Lakes Powcll and Mead has two basins The Upper Basin includes Ut lh Colorado Vroming alld New h lexico The Lower Basin includes Nt Ida Ariwna C rlifomia an l l Jlexico The Colorado Ri vcr Compact which was Illade in 1922 and rntified by Congress in 1918 divided the Lower and Upper basins tqua ll eaeh receiving 75 million acre feet of water 20 LANOSCAPEMANAGEMENT NET SEPTEMBER 2009 THE 7 WATER CONSERVING PRINCIPLES OF XERISCAPING 1 Planning and design 2 Efficient irrigation systems properly designed and maintained 3 Use of mulch 4 Soil preparation 5 Appropriate turf 5 Water efficient plant material 1 Appropriate maintenance For more information aboulthese principles viSit XeriscapeNM com per year In 1944 Mexico I lIS allocatcd 15 million af The Lower Basin states cant buy from Uppcr Basin states Ibat has been debated for years Johnson says Some want to allow it othcrs are chcmcntl ag rinst it The alcragc flow of the rivcr during the past 100 years has been 15 million af but 16 million afhave been allocated Johnson says Other stl Ldics using Tee growth indicatc the 31 cfngc amount of wltcr annu ll ly during the past 500 ycars is 12 million to 14 million af But no matter the study they all t Ondude theres less water Some 1 Opic say rhe watcr amount in the lOO ycar srudy was unusually high he says Modeling scientistS say climatc ch ngc will rcdlLl C flows Rcscnoirs afC at 50 o calXlcity which is 60 million af The system is half full now Inc Upper Hasin hasnt devciopt 1 itS allotment It has used only4 million Of 5 million af Some peoftle arc optimistic about Itcr IC clsj somc wony what will haplK 1l if the droughts continue Others say dimlte change is having a ne pti c imp lct on the ri cr Ve should t lke a conscn lti e approach and say it wont bCt better Bennett says Implementing restrictions Any regulations put on cnd uscrs would come from water enti ties in the basin Johnson says adding that munici I I i