Helping reduce water runoff
By Joann Groff joann@theacorn.com

The Las Virgenes Municipal Water District is hoping to have 100 local homeowners enrolled in a voluntary program that will advise them how to reduce excess runoff. So far, just one resident is participating, but hopes are high that others will take interest.

"You'd think people would be knocking our door down for this type of assistance," said Randall Orton, who heads the district's resource conservation and public outreach department. At a Calabasas City Council meeting earlier this month, Orton described the Malibu Creek Runoff Control Project.

"Urban runoff is just the stuff that runs down the streets," Orton said. "There's nothing magical about it. It runs through local creeks and into Santa Monica Bay and has been identified (by studies) as the single greatest source of pollution."

Runoff is most often created by over watering front yard landscaping. According to a breakdown by the water district, 69 percent of water use is irrigation. Washing machines consume 6.9 percent of the water, toilets 6.1 percent and showers and faucets 4.7 and 4.3 percent.

Bathtubs, dishwashers, water softeners and hot tubs each are responsible for less than a percentage point.

An earlier study examined homes situated near storm drains, especially those in proximity to streams. Using an equation based on water-meter readings, forecasts and records from weather stations and satellites, the water district was able to pinpoint the areas where the most runoff occurred.

"We know exactly where the runoff is coming from, right down to the parcel," Orton said. "We know where it is; we know what's in it. There's not a mystery as to what the problem is. It's what can we do about it."

The study looked at 1,560 homes in the community and concluded that one of every four creates runoff, Orton said.

Free, fast and voluntary

"We aren't the water police, and we don't want to become the urban runoff police," Orton said. "The strategy of the project is that it's an entirely voluntary program, so homeowners can do better housekeeping. We can offer assistance to homeowners."

Help is free and fast, according to Orton. Representatives inspect properties, looking at sprinkler and irrigation systems. They provide a written report of findings and recommendations, placing blue flags to mark problem areas so residents will know which systems need attention.

If runoff is found, rebates of up to $500 are available from the district for system improvements and irrigation sensors.

Project representatives will follow up by mail with a copy of the findings and one phone call, but whether or not to take action is up to the homeowner. Anyone in the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District may request a property water examination.

Reducing runoff will not only save water, but help preserve Malibu Creek, district officials said.

Residents who make necessary adjustments can also look forward to lower water bills and may avoid potentially mandatory remedies in the future if state or federal water boards target urban runoff, Orton said.

Orton said Calabasas, Agoura Hills and Westlake Village have responded positively to suggestions from the water district, and that the program may be expanded.

Passed in 2000, Proposition 13, one of a series of propositions allotting money for waterrelated issues, provided $122,500 for the three-year program, funds which were matched by the district. The district is covering staffing costs, while the grant money goes toward rebates and equipment.

"This program is being watched closely by the state," Orton said. "One of the reasons we got a grant is that if it's successful here, it's going to be piloted statewide."