Laurie Pina, a Montevalle mobile-home park resident, uses 50 percent less water than the average person in Scotts Valley. The 55-year-old conservationist does all her outdoor watering by hand, uses mulch to keep the soil moist, and has replaced most of her landscape with drought-tolerant plants.
Pina has taken several measures to save water inside her home, as well: Containers are kept by all the sinks to recycle water for plants, toilets are equipped to use less water, and everything is regularly checked for leaks.
“I’ve always conserved water as best as possible, but have stepped up my efforts in the last four years,” Pina said. “When I really started monitoring water usage, I was surprised by leaks. I didn’t realize how a little leak wastes so much water.”
In honor of her efforts, the Scotts Valley Water District singled out Pina in its first Water Conservation Awards, which recognizes businesses and residents who show a commitment to conserve water in the community.
The winners received a $200 gift certificate to Scotts Valley Sprinkler and Pipe Supply, along with a “2010 Water Conservation Award Winner” aluminum yard sign.
The runners-up were Christine Barrington and George Kamian.
Pina said she learned water-saving tactics in college and has come up with many ways to conserve without having to spend a lot of money.
“I don’t have the finances to install low-flow toilets, so I put a brick or rock in my toilet tanks to use less water,” Pina said.
Pina made her own rainwater collection system with clean garbage cans and buckets. Her system collects up to 60 gallons of water at a time.
During the winter, Pina uses less than 25 gallons of water per day, compared with the conservation threshold — typically 45 gallons per day.
“It’s been a work in progress. There are a lot of things out there that are so great but cost a lot,” Pina said. “I’ve come up with a lot of ways to make do.”
Bethany University was named as the top water conserver in the district’s Commercial, Industrial and Institutional category.
More than a year ago, Bethany’s volunteer landscaper, Ward Hastings, 73, approached the Scotts Valley Water District to join forces to reduce overall water use at the university.
Since then, the campus has trimmed its water consumption by 30 percent.
“It’s a fun project,” Hastings said. “I saw where we could save a lot and improve the landscape.”
Like many homes in Scotts Valley, several of Bethany’s buildings were built long before low-flow fixtures became a development requirement. Restrooms in dorms and other buildings had toilets flushing more than three gallons per minute, and sink faucets and showerheads were far from efficient.
But with the help of the water district, 11 of those old toilets were replaced with high-efficiency toilets, and two urinals were replaced with waterless models. Free low-flow showerheads were provided, as well.
Hastings, who taught high school and college ecology and biology, said he was concerned about water use and spending.
“To me, it was a long-term way of saving money,” Hastings said.
Bethany has also reduced its water use outdoors. Three irrigation systems have been converted to operate with weather-based irrigation technology. Rather than running for a fixed time, the new technology taps into local weather data so that irrigation runs only when it’s needed.
Bethany University is in the process of converting all its irrigation controllers to use the same technology.
“It’s a work in progress,” Hastings said. “We’ve got an international garden with drought-resistant plants that I’m really enthused about. I hope it encourages others to work on their landscape.”
