CVWD considering drought certification for landscapers
A local businesswoman is suggesting a form of drought-education certification for local landscapers.
Jessyca Frederick pitched the idea to the Coachella Valley Water District board members on Tuesday.
The Water Wise Now cofounder started her business to educate people on eliminating water waste. Now she wants to spread that knowledge to landscapers and gardeners tending to people’s homes in the Coachella Valley.
“By requiring that maybe somebody has one within a company, like a CEO or a general manager, it doesn’t do the same thing as requiring the field supervisors to have one as well,” Frederick said. “So people who are actually in the field having the education, being responsible for how water is used, would benefit.”
CVWD President John Powell and fellow board members were receptive to the idea of a simple certification to prove a gardener is following, or at least educated in, drought guidelines.
“We’re going to pick that ball up and run with it and see if we can develop a program — maybe something Valley wide — that can be an official certification,” Powell said, “and people can use it as a way to advertise their services.”
Frederick says some parts of the Coachella Valley are watering their grass 73 gallons per square feet, for example, even though most lawns only need 45 gal/sq ft.
“With most plants, when you over water, they tell you they’re not happy. They show brown or yellow,” Frederick explains. “Grass doesn’t do that. Grass you can apply as much water as you want, and you’re never going to know.”
Most of that excess water runs off into gutters, streets, and sidewalks, she said.
In addition to a proper irrigation schedule, certified landscapers would know the specific needs for different areas of the desert.
“One of the local issues we face,” said Frederick, “in some parts of the Valley, we need 40 percent less water than other parts of the Valley, but our irrigation schedules don’t reflect that. So in some places we are over watering, other places we are under watering.”
Until there’s a program in place, CVWD and Frederick suggest getting a smart meter, using rotating sprinkler nozzles, and physically checking your meter schedule.
“Professional landscapers take a lot of pride in their work, and if we can develop a program for a real certification that’s tied to real objectives, that’s something that’s worth looking into,” said Powell.
