Recently in Irrigation and Landscape Category

Seattle, WA (1/20/10) -  McKinstry strives daily to live up to its reputation as a national model for how a business can integrate sustainability into every aspect of its operations.

From LEED Gold facilities to providing important thought-leadership on creating jobs for the burgeoning clean energy economy, McKinstry has been on the cutting edge of the sustainability revolution.
 
Certified Green Plumbers

Now, the service arm of this Seattle company is taking it one step further, arming its plumbers and pipefitters with GreenPlumbers Accreditation. To become certified GreenPlumbers, candidates must undergo 32-hours of training in such subjects as climate and water care, solar hot water, water efficient technologies, and more.
 
In this challenging economy, homeowners are looking for innovative, cost effective ways to save energy and protect their assets. GreenPlumbers certification represents one more avenue for McKinstry to deliver the quality of service that saves clients energy and money, while earning their continued loyalty and satisfaction.
 
"The GreenPlumbers training provides our plumbers with the necessary tools and resources to present multiple solutions to help our clients save water, energy and money," states Bob Frey, McKinstry's VP of Service.
 
The GreenPlumbers program is a partner of the EPA WaterSense program, Alliance for Water Efficiency, the California Center for Sustainable Energy, the California Urban Water Conservation Council, as well as other industry leaders that share its mission of bringing environmental training to plumbers. More information about GreenPlumbers can be found at www.greenplumbersusa.com.
 

Desalination of salt water and brackish water is becoming a critical issue as inland lakes and ponds suffer from droughts and water relocation projects.

Ecosystems suffer first. Terminus lakes could benefit from a new desalination system being developed at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Terminus lakes are located in closed-basin regions where there is no outflow for the water and a high evaporation rate, leaving a high concentration of minerals and salts.

This new, low cost way to desalinate water uses a specialized low-cost solar pond and patented membrane distillation system powered by renewable energy.

Hundreds of terminus lakes worldwide such as the Great Salt Lake, the Salton Sea in California, the Aral Sea and Nevada's  Walker Lake are experiencing a decline in water levels and an increase in salinity from both human and natural processes," says Francisco Suarez, a doctoral student in hydrological sciences.

Suarez is developing an artificial salt-gradient stratification process that traps solar heat at the bottom of the solar pond and uses the collected energy to power the membrane distillation system recently patented by the University. The hot brine in the lower storage zone of the pond, which can reach temperatures greater than 195 degrees Fahrenheit, may be used directly for heating, thermal desalination, or for other low-temperature thermal applications.

The process has been highly successful in the lab in a small-scale experiment using a 400-gallon tank, where dissolved solids and precise fiber-optic temperature sensing are being used to track the process as it desalinates the water. The next step for Suarez and the research group is to build a pilot-project, demonstration-scale, low-temperature desalination system in an open environment.

This desalination system is designed to help sustain the ecosystems of these closed-basin regions.

Read more about this desalination system at the University of Nevada

Did you know... 65% of new impervious cover can be classified as car habitat!

What is "car habitat"?  

"...the geometry of roads, parking lots, sidewalks, cul-de-sacs and other new development infrastructure."  That's car habitat.

Local development codes enforce how much impervious surface is allowed.  They take into consideration how water drains and is absorbed by local soil conditions, as well as the level of development already affecting the watershed.

Better site design can reduce flooding by improving absorption of heavy water deluges into nature's groundwater infrastructure.  Snowpack might be nature's LARGEST water reservoir, but groundwater is also a very valuable service provided by nature in lowlands. 

Better Site Design (BSD), can include greater use of

• swales
• relaxed lot geometry
• natural area conservation
• open-space subdivisions
• pervious paving
• and other site design techniques

Several dozen communities across the country have changed their local codes and ordinances to promote BSD through a roundtable process to gain consensus among development stakeholders.

Better Site Design Can Reduce Development Costs

The strength of the BSD approach is that numerous modeling studies have demonstrated it can reduce impervious cover, pollutants and development costs by as much as 10 to 40% at individual development sites.

The weakness of BSD is that it lacks a watershed context and therefore reductions in site IC may be not be enough to meet subwatershed objectives.

SOURCE:
Chesapeake Stormwater Network, CSN Technical Bulletin No. 3, "Implications of the Impervious Cover Model".

The Imperial Highway Sunken Median Stormwater Best Management Practices (BMP) project

By Carolyn Allen, Editor

I drive by the Imperial Highway project almost daily, and watched this biofiltration system being constructed. Cool! Here are more details about how it filters urban runoff from residential and industrial areas that has been draining into the Santa Monica Bay and the Pacific Ocean. It is one more way to protect the fragile habitat and wildlife ecosystem under stress in the Bay.

Sunken Median Stormwater Diversion

This urban street median stormwater project is located on Imperial Highway between Pershing Drive and Main Street in El Segundo, CA. It is in a highly traveled street that divides LAX Airport and the residential neighborhoods of El Segundo. It also leads directly to Santa Monica Bay and the Pacific Ocean...just down the street.

Los Angeles and El Segundo reduce pollutants to Santa Monica Bay with Biofiltration System.

Biofiltration System of Vegetated Swales and Trench

The stormwater runoff project installed a biofiltration system comprised of vegetated swales and an infiltration trench that will collect runoff from a 7.5-acre area and remove bacteria, oil, trash and suspended solids from stormwater that would otherwise be discharged to Santa Monica Bay. Shrubs and trees were also planted in the project area, and an automated irrigation system that uses recycled water was installed.

Elevated concentrations of pesticides in streams can affect aquatic organisms in streams as well as the quality of drinking water in some high-use areas where surface water is used for municipal supply.

Decreasing Usage Decreases Stream Contamination...???!

Concentrations of several major pesticides mostly declined or stayed the same in "Corn Belt" rivers and streams from 1996 to 2006, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey study.

The declines in pesticide concentrations closely followed declines in their annual applications, indicating that reducing pesticide use is an effective and reliable strategy for reducing pesticide contamination in streams.

Declines in concentrations of the agricultural herbicides cyanazine, alachlor and metolachlor show the effectiveness of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulatory actions as well as the influence of new pesticide products.

In addition, declines from 2000 to 2006 in concentrations of the insecticide diazinon correspond to the EPA's national phase-out of nonagricultural uses. The USGS works closely with the EPA, which uses USGS findings on pesticide trends to track the effectiveness of changes in pesticide regulations and use.

Stream Pollutants in llinois, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska and Ohio

Scientists studied 11 herbicides and insecticides frequently detected in the Corn Belt region, which generally includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska and Ohio, as well as parts of adjoining states.

This area has among the highest pesticide use in the nation -- mostly herbicides used for weed control in corn and soybeans. As a result, these pesticides are widespread in the region's streams and rivers, largely resulting from runoff from cropland and urban areas.

Four of the 11 pesticides evaluated for trends were among those most often found in previous USGS studies to occur at levels of potential concern for healthy aquatic life. Atrazine, the most frequently detected, is also regulated in drinking water.

"Pesticide use is constantly changing in response to such factors as regulations, market forces, and advances in science," said Dan Sullivan, lead scientist for the study. "For example, acetochlor was registered by the EPA in 1994 with a goal of reducing use of alachlor and other major corn herbicides -- acetochlor use rapidly increased to a constant level by about 1996, and alachlor use declined. Cyanazine use also decreased rapidly from 1992 to 2000, as it was phased out because of environmental concerns. Metolachlor use did not markedly decrease until about 1998, when S-metolachlor, a more effective version that requires lower application rates, was introduced. Each of these declines in use was accompanied by similar declines in concentrations."

Although trends in concentration and use almost always closely corresponded, concentrations of atrazine and metolachlor each declined in one stream more rapidly than their estimated use. According to Skip Vecchia, senior author of the report on this analysis, "The steeper decline in these instances may be caused by agricultural management practices that have reduced pesticide transport, but data on management practices are not adequate to definitively answer the question. Overall, use is the most dominant factor driving changes in concentrations."

Simazine Shows Increased Usage

Only one pesticide -- simazine, which is used for both agricultural and urban weed control -- increased from 1996 to 2006. Concentrations of simazine in some streams increased more sharply than its trend in agricultural use, suggesting that non-agricultural uses of this herbicide, such as for controlling weeds in residential areas and along roadsides, increased during the study period.

The USGS study is based on analysis of 11 pesticides for 31 stream sites in the Corn Belt for two partially overlapping time periods: 1996 to 2002 and 2000 to 2006. Pesticides included in the trend analyses were the herbicides atrazine, acetochlor, metolachlor, alachlor, cyanazine, EPTC, simazine, metribuzin and prometon, and the insecticides chlorpyrifos and diazinon. Additional detailed analyses of relations between concentrations and use focused on four herbicides mainly used for weed control in corn (atrazine, acetochlor, metolachlor and alachlor) at a subset of 11 sites on the main rivers and selected large tributaries in the Ohio, Upper Mississippi and Missouri River basins.

Concentrations of many other pesticides that were less prevalent than the 11 included in the study were below analytical detection limits in most samples and thus could not be analyzed for trends.

Glyphosate, the most heavily used herbicide in the US

Glyphosate, an herbicide which has had rapidly increasing use on new genetically modified varieties of soybeans and corn, and which now is the most heavily used herbicide in the nation, was not measured until late in the study and thus had insufficient data for analysis of trends.

A USGS Scientific Investigations Report, "Trends in Pesticide Concentrations in Corn-Belt Streams, 1996-2006," (Analysis of concentration trends for 11 pesticides at 31 stream and river sites) and a journal article in the Environmental Science and Technology journal, "Trends in Concentrations and Use of Agricultural Herbicides for Corn Belt Rivers" (Analysis of concentration and use trends for 4 herbicides at 11 major river sites) is available online. Additional information, including data, reports and maps on pesticide status, trends and use may be found at the USGS Pesticide National Synthesis Project Web site.

USGS provides science for a changing world. For more information, visit www.usgs.gov.

The rite of passage for young coho salmon is a glorious rendezvous with the sea, but three years of drought have left many migrating fish marooned in the drying tributaries of Marin County's San Geronimo Valley, according to a recent study.

Many of these trapped juvenile fish, commonly known as smolts, have either been plucked out of isolated pools by birds and other predators or died from lack of nutrients, biologists with the Salmon Protection and Watershed Network said.

The stranding of smolt trying to reach the ocean is one of a litany of problems facing the endangered Central California coho population, which registered the lowest number of egg-laying adults in the normally bountiful Lagunitas watershed in recorded history last winter.

It is unique in that the primary spawning grounds are in the middle of developed communities. Some 40 percent of the coho in the watershed are hatched in tributaries surrounded by homes, golf courses, roads and horse corrals in the 9-square-mile San Geronimo Valley, according to the study.

It is estimated that between 3,000 and 6,000 coho swim down the waterway back to the ocean every year. The plummeting coho numbers exacerbate a near-catastrophic decline in the overall population of salmon along the West Coast. The coho population around the state has declined precipitously over the years and so few chinook salmon returned to spawn in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River system the past two years that ocean fishing had to be banned in California and Oregon.

The advantages of portable sub-irrigated planters (SIPs) can encourage  more PONGs (Portable Outreach Neighborhood Garden (PONG) and personal gardens with no need for the backbreaking and costly work of breaking concrete and blacktop.

Back breaking work is simply not necessary.

SIP gardening also avoids the risk of contaminated soil.

InsideUrbanGreen.com is a helpful DIY site to help you make your own planters and planter boxes instead of going gung ho and tearing up concrete, etc.

Add to these innovative storage box planters a few heirloom seeds...and you have your own victory garden on your patio!

California regulators have opened the floodgates for using "gray water" by issuing an emergency decision that allows residents to create simple water-reuse systems without a construction permit.

The California Building Standards Commission had expected an overhaul of gray-water rules to take effect in 2011. But on Thursday, it adopted the regulations on an emergency basis due to the deepening drought. Local health agencies may adopt stricter conditions than the state's after they hold public hearings.

Gray water includes wastewater from showers, bathtubs, bathroom sinks, laundry tubs and washing machines, but not from toilets, kitchen sinks or dishwashers.

Homeowners still must follow state guidelines for installation and use. The rules require minimal contact between people and the gray water, for instance by covering the water-release point with at least 2 inches of rock, mulch or other material.

'GRAY WATER' FACTS

New state rules provide permit exemptions for some residential gray-water systems, but people still have to follow several requirements. They include:

 The system must allow users to direct water to an irrigation field or the sewer.

 Ponding and gray-water runoff are prohibited.

 Gray water can be released above ground, but the discharge point must be covered by at least 2 inches of mulch, rock or other material that minimizes human contact.

 Water used to wash diapers or other soiled garments must be sent to the sewer.

 Gray water shouldn't be used on root vegetables.

Online: For more information about California's new standards for gray-water systems, go to uniontrib.com/more/gray.

Roughly 1.7 million gray-water systems are installed statewide. Most are illegal because homeowners almost always avoid permits and the associated fees. Do-it-yourselfers can build a gray-water system for $200 or less, but permitting-process costs can more than double the expense.

A standard home generates about 160 gallons of gray water per day, or nearly 60,000 gallons per year, state officials said. A family of four could reuse 22,000 gallons a year by tapping the rinse water from its washing machine.

Fresh water is essential for life and the world is running out of this precious resource at the same time we are increasing the population. A crisis is looming that could be averted...with your action and mine. Here are the succinct facts.

Plants in our cities are as environmentally important as those in our wild areas. They provide oxygen, homes to wildlife, and cooling without burning fossil fuels. Plants clean our air and water, prevent erosion, and reduce glare and noise pollution. On the most basic level our landscapes are a green urban ecosystem mitigating the effects of intensive urban and suburban living. As California grows, the environmental challenges will increase. Plants are our most important assets for protecting and enhancing our environment.

Urban plants provide many benefits such as:

Clean Air

Natural Cooling

Clean Water

Wildlife in our Communities

Quieting the City

Healing

The California Green Industry Council (CGIC) is a multi-billion dollar industry that not only provides a large percentage of jobs in California and contributes to the state's GNP but provides a more beautiful and healthy environment for California. The California Green Industry Council's member organizations all contribute to make California the beautiful and thriving state that it is today.

California Association of Pest Control Advisers (CAPCA)

California Assn. of Nurseries & Garden Centers (CANGC)

California Golf Course Superintendants Assn. (CGCSA)

California Landscape Contractors Assn. (CLCA)

California Landscape & Irrigation Council (CLIC)

Western Plant Health Association (WPHA)

California Sod Producers Association (CSPA)

Irrigation Association (IA)

Pesticide Applicators Professional Assn. (PAPA)

The professionals in the 'Green Industry' include sod producers, nurserymen, pest control advisers, pesticide applicators, landscape contractors, irrigation specialists, landscape architects, golf course superintendents, fertilizer and compost manufacturers and many others. Many of the professionals in the 'green industry' are required to have state licensing and certification and/or have professionally managed certification programs.

By working together in trade associations and councils of diverse trade associations, information about standards, issues of mutual interest or that cross multiple professions and multi-disciplinary working teams can be created.  And the more diverse the communications, the more likely our natural resources such as fresh water, native habitat, wildlife, and human communities can be understood and managed for sustainability.

California Green Industry Council

The environmental, economic and societal benefits of plants in our communities are profound. We need them to make it possible to live together in dense urban and suburban communities. As California's population continues to grow, we must increase the amount of plants making our human habitat habitable.