The winter of 2021 was dry, and it looks like 2022 may bring a dry winter as well according to
the NWS Weather Prediction Center. According to the Center, this year’s winter is under a La Nina watch
which could mean a dry winter. Our water supplies have already been impacted from the recent dry
conditions, and we will have to carefully balance our supplies to sustain us through the next few years.
We are asking that customers use water wisely and conserve water when possible, as we enter this
unpredictable territory. With 50 of 58 counties in California in a drought state of emergency as of the
writing of this article, it is important now more than ever to “make conservation a California way of life”.
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The 2021 WaterWise Garden Recognition Contest launched this spring to recognize beautiful, water-efficient residential gardens throughout Santa Barbara County. The Santa Barbara County Water Agency and participating water providers, including the City of Santa Barbara, Montecito Water District, Carpinteria Valley Water District, and Vandenberg Village Community Services District, encouraged residents to enter the running for an agency award and the countywide grand prize. A winner from each participating water provider’s service areas received an engraved sandstone sign to display in their gardens.
The County grand prize winner was Donna Grubisic of Carpinteria for her beautiful, water-thrifty pollinator garden.
Donna Grubisic of Carpinteria wins county-wide 2021 WaterWise Garden Recognition Contest
Motivated by the 1990s drought, Ms. Grubisic removed her lawn and transformed her yard into a beautiful retreat for pollinators. She and her daughter designed the garden together, focusing on plants that would bring color and attract bees, butterflies, and birds to the front yard. Ms. Grubisic, who has raised monarch butterflies and bees in the past, wanted to create a habitat for these species. The garden is water efficient and has no irrigation system installed; it is hand-watered with a pressure-activated garden nozzle and uses rainwater captured in three 300-gallon cisterns attached to the side of the house. The garden features a downspout redirect into a dry creek bed as well as permeable pavers and walkways. Donna and her daughter continue to maintain the garden together and enjoy finding ways to update its design and colors.
Other finalists for the grand prize and winners in their respective regions were George Hopwood and Joseph Navarro of Santa Barbara, Susan and Howard Silver of Montecito, and Colleen Newkirk of Vandenberg Village. The winning gardens encompassed stunning displays of water-wise and native plants, high-efficiency irrigation and a rain garden demonstration. Photos of each garden can be seen at www.WaterWiseSB.org/GardenContest.
These home gardens demonstrate that water-wise, sustainable landscapes can be lush and colorful, low maintenance, and provide habitat for pollinators and other wildlife. Many winners replaced their original lawns and now enjoy the added benefit of a lower water bill.
After a dry winter, it is important to recognize residents who are doing their part to be water-wise while maintaining a beautiful garden.
Residents throughout Santa Barbara County can visit www.WaterWiseSB.org to learn about the Garden Contest winners, water-wise gardening, rainwater harvesting, DIY videos and more.
The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) provides technical and financial assistance to agricultural producers to address natural resource concerns and deliver environmental benefits such as improved water and air quality, conserved ground and surface water, increased soil health and reduced soil erosion and sedimentation, improved or created wildlife habitat, and mitigation against drought and increasing weather volatility.
Click here to view the EQIP fact sheet.
Governor Newson
held a press conference yesterday focused on the state’s drought conditions. At the event, he extended his previous drought proclamation to
include more counties including Inyo, Marin, Mono, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz.
He also signed
Executive Order N-10-21 which calls for
“all Californians to voluntarily reduce their water use by 15 percent from their 2020 levels.” The Board of Directors of the Carpinteria Valley Water District will hold a
Public Hearing on Wednesday, June 30, 2021 at 5:30 p.m. to consider increases in its Rates and Charges. The public hearing will be a virtual Tele-meeting. Visit
www.cvwd.net for meeting login information. To view the Prop. 218 Public Hearing Notice with the proposed rates and charges increases, click
here.
Carpinteria Valley Water District offers Lifeline, a customer assistance program for qualifying low-income residential customers.
Preview (opens in a new tab)
For more information, click
here or call 805-684-2816.
Applications are now open for the 2021 High School Video Contest! 2021 marks the 22
nd Annual WaterWise High School Video Contest where high school filmmakers throughout Santa Barbara County are challenged to produce creative and high-quality 30 second videos on the importance of water conservation and water efficiency in Santa Barbara County. The winning videos are aired on local TV, digital, and movie theater ads as a Public Service Announcement on water conservation. Students also win prizes for themselves and their schools. This year up to six video entries, three Spanish and three English, are allowed per school.
This year's contest theme is "Do it Yourself the Water Wise Way" Application Deadline: Friday, March 5, 2021. For more information and to download the application packet, visit
www.waterwisesb.org/hsvc.wwsb
