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Water Conservation is now on Facebook!
Come on over to the new Facebook page for all things related to Water Conservation in the City of Merced. Search for City of Merced: Water Conservation and choose to “Like” this page. Remember to actively conserve water and follow our water schedule. This Facebook page is still under construction and evolving daily. You should feel free to post any comments or tell the community what you do at home to save water.
Thanks & Happy New Year Just a few short Green Holiday Reminders for you this week:
· Refuse service is NOT delayed by Christmas or New Year’s holidays; please have your trash out on your normally scheduled day of service
·Wrap your exposed water pipes and cover your outdoor plants, the weather outside is freezing and you don’t want burst water pipes or frozen plants ruining your celebrations
·After Christmas you can chop up your clean, un-flocked Christmas tree in your green can
·Be sure to turn off your outdoor irrigation system, your lawn does not need water this time of year
· Clean tissue paper is recyclable, so toss it into your blue can
·Plastic bags and Styrofoam still belong in the gray trash can
·Happy Holidays from the City of Merced!
Recycling helps divert trash from our community’s landfills. You can do your part by actively using your blue can. And know what is considered trash. No plastic bags of any kind can go in the blue can. You can trash the plastic bags or reuse them as trash can liners or use them for pet waste or take them to one of the local grocery stores that collect them.
Items that go in the blue can are not just cans and plastic bottles (#1 & #2 bottles & jugs only); you can put cardboard boxes including cereal boxes and dry food boxes. Toss the recycled items into the can loosely, do not bag them—bags cannot go in the blue can. Food cans go in there too, but rinse them lightly to avoid causing smells to develop.
And remember the City of Merced offices are closed on Friday, November 11th for Veteran’s Day. Friday’s refuse collection will be delayed until Saturdaydue to this holiday. Please be ready by 6:00 a.m. on Saturday morning if your trash day is normally Friday. For any questions, please call the City of Merced Public Works Department at 385-6800. Enjoy the holiday and thank a veteran for their service to us all.
Halloween is just a few days away and it is pumpkin season. Did you know that California is one of the top pumpkin producing states? Did you know that pumpkins are 90 % water? Can you imagine how much water it takes to grow one of these 90% water fruits? Yes, pumpkins are a fruit.
According to allaboutpumpkins.com, the secret to growing a healthy pumpkin is to only water it when needed. Check the moisture in the soil. As long as the moisture is good and your plant looks happy, leave it alone. When the soil is starting to dry out, or the plant starts to look a bit droopy, and it’s your watering day, give it a long deep drink. Deep but infrequent watering results in a healthier plant. And remember, no watering on Monday’s citywide.
It is important not to get water on the pumpkin plant leaves, you can hand water your plants, use drip irrigation, or use a soaker hose. And it’s best to water in the early morning instead of late in the evening, to help stave off fungal diseases. Don’t water between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m., that is the hottest part of the day and least effective time to water. When your pumpkin fruit starts to turn orange, gradually decrease the amount of water. Your pumpkins will store longer if you stop watering 7 - 10 days before you harvest.
Speaking of water, be sure not to irrigate your front yard two to three days before Halloween; this will assure that your yard is dry so that trick-or-treaters won’t get wet feet and possibly slip or trip in their spooky costumes.
20% by 2020 Challenge By Leah Brown
Did you know that over four-fifths of the Earth’s surface is covered in water? But most of that water is either ocean salt water or frozen. Did you know that all the water that we have on the Earth today is the same water we’ve always had? 50 years ago, we had about ½ the Earth’s population that we do now, but the same amount of water. So even though water is a renewable resource, we still need to conserve because our numbers our growing, our water use is increasing, yet we still have only the same amount of water as we’ve always had.
In the City of Merced, we pump 25 million gallons of water per day! Did you know that the average person in Merced uses 100-300 gallons per day? We certainly don’t drink that much, but much of it is used up via irrigation, water leaks, and other uses. We have been challenged by Governor Schwarzenegger in 2009 with decreasing our per capita use by 20 % by the year 2020.
Your water division would like to challenge you with some outdoor water conservation do’s and don’ts. Do water your lawn lightly in the mornings following the city’s odd/even water schedule. Don’t water so much that you create run-off in the gutters or down the sidewalks. Do plant drought resistant native plants, they like minimal water. Don’t leave your hose running while washing a vehicle or the lawn. Do use an automatic shut-off valve to control the flow. Do water on Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday if your address ends in 0, 2, 4, 6, 8. Don’t water on Monday. Do water on Wednesday, Friday, or Sunday if your address ends in 1, 3, 5, 7, 9. Don’t water mid-day when it’s the hottest part of the day.
For more information on water conservation outdoors and in, call The Public Works Water Division at 209-385-6800 or check us out on the web at www.cityofmerced.org.
Conservation is the Key By Leah Brown
As American’s we sometimes forget how privileged we are, we turn on the tap and clean water flows. In New Guinea, people walk 4 kilometers to a stream where they get their water from. In Mexico, most US travelers can’t stomach the water and must drink from bottles. A good portion of California water used is currently un-metered; thus making it easy for us to take it for granted and not be as thrifty in our consumption as we are with other essential products.
In the City of Merced, we pump your water up from deep aquifers underground to supply the city up to 25 million gallons of water per day. The average water consumption per person in California varies greatly throughout the state depending upon what area you live in. In Merced, we use from 125 – 300 gallons per person per day! Most of that water is used outdoors to irrigate landscapes; but much of it is consumed indoors.
In California, we have an assertive water conservation plan to implement. The plan is called the 20x2020 Plan; simply put we are tasked with reducing our per capita water use by 20% by the year 2020. This may seem a hard target, but with a few modifications in our every day practices we can get there.
We wouldn’t pour a gallon of milk down the drain just to use a cup of it, so we shouldn’t water our lawns to the point where water is flowing down the sidewalk and flooding the gutters. We can limit our showers to just the time needed to get clean and get out, 5-minutes should be plenty. If you don’t have aerators on your faucets, you can pick some up for less than $5 at the hardware store. Also in the coming months, the city will have some water saving devices that you can pick up. For more information on how you can be a conservationist for water, call the Public Works Water Department at 385-6800 or check out our website for some helpful tips at /depts/pw/water_division/conservation.asp.
Blue, Green & Other
Blue Can
Your blue container is for recyclable material only. Such items include:
¨ Clean paper, including junk mail ¨ Magazines and newspapers ¨ Cardboard ¨ Metal containers & beverage cans ¨ Glass bottles and jars ¨ Plastics containers #1 - #2 in bottle or jug form
Green Can
Your green container is for yard waste material only. Such items include: ¨ Yard trimmings ¨ Small tree or shrub cuttings (No Yucca, Cactus, Palm Fronds, or Oleander are allowed in the green can) ¨ Leaves
Please No food waste, dirt, or lumber into your green container. Plastic bags are not allowed in the blue or green cans. Please note, contaminated blue or green containers may incur a fine.
Gray Can
Your gray can is for household garbage. Cans need to be at the curb by 6:00 a.m. and removed by 9:00 p.m. on your collection day.
¨ Please place cans 3 feet apart and away from cars, mailboxes, trees, or other obstacles that might interfere with the arms of the garbage truck. ¨ If the container is too heavy for a person to move, chances are, it is too heavy for the truck to lift. ¨ Material placed on the ground next to the container will not be picked up. ¨ Occasionally rinsing your cans with a garden hose will help reduce odors from forming. ¨ Items that cannot go in the gray container are: ¨ Hot ashes ¨ Flammable or hazardous material ¨ Tires, concrete, appliances, or other large items
Each can has a serial number and is assigned to your address. Property owners are responsible for each of their cans.
If you would like to know if a specific item is recyclable, please call our Public Works office at 385-6800.
The value of water is priceless, when you think that you could go without food for weeks but not more than a few days without water. We’ve been getting questions lately in the Public Works office about the end of the drought. People want to know if we still need to conserve water in Merced. The answer is YES! Really, we should only be using a couple of gallons per day to sustain ourselves, but add to that water used for personal hygiene and that increases by 10 to 30 gallons. But in Merced we use from 125 to 300 gallons per day per person!! The City pumps about 25 million gallons per day for its residents!
As our population grows, the finite amount of water available for harvesting remains the same. Although we had a good year for snow pack in the Sierra’s and our waterways are flowing, in California we typically have a three year cycle for weather changes from years of heavy rains to drought. All the while, our population continues to grow and our demand for water increases. It is much more cost effective and eco-friendly for us to conserve water than to continue to build more wells, storage tanks, and explore other ways to provide safe drinking water.
Now that the hot weather is upon us we need to think of innovative ways to conserve water, try a few of these helpful tips:
Cut your grass a little longer
Only water on your allowed days, and only in the early mornings
Don’t use water to thaw meat
Don’t use water to clean off driveways and sidewalks, use a broom
Install water saving aerators on all faucets
Don’t use the sink as a trash can
Wash fruits and veggies in a bowl full of water, then use that water to water the plants
Take your car to an energy efficient car wash
Don’t’ empty your pool to clean it….just clean it!
Water belongs on the grass, not on the sidewalks and gutters; turn off the water before you have run-off
For more water savings tips feel free to call Public Works at 209-385-6800. Water: Too precious to waste
California’s most precious natural resource is water and whether we have a rainy year or a dry one, we all need to contentiously monitor our water consumption. Here are some simple tips that you can follow to monitor your water use habits:
» For outdoor conservation:
» Be sure to regulate your irrigation timers; twice weekly watering should be plenty.
» Only water on your specific day: even numbered houses water on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays and odd numbered houses water on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. Water in the mornings or evenings to prevent evaporation loss.
» Use a broom to clean off driveways and sidewalks.
» Plant drought-resistant trees and plants. Consider changing from grass to other non-water consuming yard-scape.
For indoor conservation:
» Install low-flow shower heads; a limited number are available at the City Public Works office.
» If you take a bath, fill the tub only half way.
» Teach your kids to brush their teeth with the water off & shut all faucets off completely.
Check for leaks by turning off all water-using appliances and then read your meter; you should see no movement. Even a small water leak can mean hundreds of gallons lost per day.
You can save money on your bill and our precious resource by monitoring your water consumption.
Don’t Flush Our Most Precious Resource down the Drain
“Shhh, swoosh”, that’s the sound of our community’s most precious resource being flushed down the drain. Every day your typical Merced resident uses in excess of a hundred gallons of water to cover their basic needs. The City of Merced Water Division would like to challenge you to ramp up your water saving ways by not flushing water needlessly down the drain. We have several tips that can help save water and thus save you dollars on your utility bill.
Did you know that 30% of your household water is simply flushed down the toilet drain? Can you imagine how much water would be conserved if you simply switched out your old 5 gallon toilet with an energy efficient ultra-low-flow toilet? You could literally save thousands of gallons each year by replacing that old toilet with an ultra-low-flow toilet that uses just under 1.6 gallons of water per flush. An alternative to purchasing new toilet would be to place a water displacement devise in your tank to offset some of the water in the toilet tank. You can accomplish this rather inexpensively by filling an empty plastic milk jug with water and placing it in the tank.
Another great way to save household water is making sure not to run your dishwasher or clothes washer with a half load. Just as much water is used in a full load as in a half load. Showers are more water efficient than baths. A full bathtub uses about 70 gallons of water, but a 5-minute shower using a low-flow showerhead only uses about 10 to 25 gallons. And when you are running that water to heat it up, try placing a bucket in the shower to collect the cold water to use elsewhere in the house. You can later use that water to fill your pet’s water bowl or water your plants.
An unchecked water leak can really increase your water bill and waste water resources. A leaky faucet that can fill an 8 ounce container in less than 30 minutes could waste as much as 1,225 gallons of water each year. And if you hear your toilet flowing when not in use, it is like having an open faucet. Speaking of open faucets, if you run the water faucet while brushing your teeth, you can expect to waste about 2 gallons of water per minute. It’s amazing how much water is simply wasted by our everyday habits.
The City of Merced Water Division would like to remind you to help save our water by remembering these helpful tidbits when using water in our everyday lives.
Ben Franklin once said, “When the well is dry, we learn the worth of water.” For more information on water conservation, please call the City of Merced Water Division at 209-385-6800
Even in winter time we can all help conserve water. Here are a collection of all weather water savings tips:
* Don’t run water while washing dishes by hand.
* Fill one sink with wash water and the other with rinse water.
* Adjust your sprinklers to not water during the rainy season.
* Run your washer and dryer only when you have a full load.
* Compost your food waste to avoid washing it into your garbage disposal (and possibly clogging your sink up anyway).
* Use your water bill to help determine unseen water leaks; if your bill shows a higher than normal usage, go in search of that leak.
* A running toilet is like leaving a faucet open, jiggle that chain, and get it fixed ASAP.
* Wash your fruits and vegetables in a pan of water and then use that water to water your houseplants.
* Use a broom and dustpan to clean your driveway and sidewalks, not the hose.
* Upgrade older toilets with more water efficient models.
* For large tank, older toilets, place a full ½ gallon jug in the tank to help displace water, less water will be used with each flush this way.
* When cleaning out a fish tank, reuse that water for plants or lawn.
* Don’t use running water to thaw food. Defrost food in the refrigerator.
* Turn off the water when brushing your teeth.
For more questions on how to conserve water, contact the City of Merced, Public Works department at 385-6800.Ho, Ho, Ho, Happy Holidays! Tis the season to be joyful and go shopping. All those extra purchases can mean a lot more trash. But is it really trash? More than likely, it is some trash and some recycling. Cardboard or chipboard boxes are completely recyclable. The Styrofoam used in packaging is not recyclable through the County recycling stream, neither are plastic shopping bags. You could re-use Styrofoam to package up and store ornaments in the off season and plastic bags are good trash bag liners. But you can recycle wrapping paper and tissue paper. And after Christmas, your un-flocked tree, free of ornaments, and tinsel can be chopped up to fit in your green can. Enjoy the holiday season! And for any questions on recycling in the holiday season, please call the City of Merced, Public Works Department at 385-6800.
It’s time to improve our recycling habits. Now that you’ve been using your blue can for several years, we’ve got a few changes for improving our recycling stream to ask of you. Acceptable plastics are now #1 & #2, PET and HDPE bottles and jugs only; including those household cleaning containers too, but no plastic food tubs. Kids love to learn about recycling by being in charge of CRV cans and bottles; give that job to your kids and let them pocket the change!
As the weather changes, our thoughts start to turn to gardening and keeping our lawns green, here are some helpful tips to avoid water wasting. Water only during early mornings to avoid evaporation; don’t water when it’s windy or raining. Use low output sprinklers, such as drips, soaker hoses, and micro-sprayers whenever possible. Shrubs and trees need less watering than lawns. Check soil moisture below the surface with a soil probe or lard screwdriver. Don’t assume plants need water just because the soil surface looks dry. Set your watering goal of no run-off. The typical single-family household uses at least 30% of their water for irrigation. Some experts estimate that more than 50% of landscape water goes to waste due to evaporation or runoff caused by overwatering. Solve this problem by using drip irrigation systems, they use between 20% to 50% less water than conventional sprinklers. They are also much more efficient than sprinklers because no water is lost to wind, runoff, and evaporation. If your in-ground system uses 100,000 gallons annually, you could potentially save more than 200,000 gallons over the lifetime of a drip irrigation should you choose to install it. That adds up to savings of at least $1,150! Per the US Environmental Protection Agency. Recycling helps divert trash from our community’s landfills. State law requires that we make every effort to divert 50% of waste from the landfill. You can do your part by actively using your blue can. Items that go in the blue can are not just cans and plastic bottles; you can put cardboard boxes including cereal boxes and dry food boxes. Toss the recycled items into the can loosely, do not bag them. Food cans can go in there too, but rinse them lightly to avoid causing smells to develop. When in doubt about whether or not an item goes in the blue can, call the City of Merced Public Works Department at 385-6800. Your Toilet is not the Only Thing That Needs Flushing
Did you know that your hot water heater needs flushing too? Sediment can buildup in your hot water heater causing your water heater to run poorly, make strange noises, or only fill up half way. This can lead to higher energy costs, a shortage of hot water for your showers, or being woken up in the middle of the night because your water heater sounds like a mack truck running through your house. To ensure you have plenty of hot water, and quiet nights, follow the steps below.
For a gas water heater, turn off the pilot light.
For an electric water heater, turn off the circuit breaker to your water heater.
Then, for both gas and electric hot water heaters, connect a garden hose to the drain valve (the faucet looking thing at the bottom of the water heater). Place the other end of the garden hose in an area away from children and pets (the water will be hot and may burn).
Turn off the valve for the cold water.
Open the pressure relief valve at the top of the tank by lifting the lever.
Turn on the drain valve and let the water flow out. When you no longer see sediment in the water, you are finished.
Close the drain valve, remove the garden hose, close the pressure relief valve, and turn the cold water back on. (Don’t forget to turn your pilot light or circuit breaker back on.)
Lastly, turn on a hot water faucet inside your house and let it run until there are no air bubbles coming out of the faucet.
Make sure you call the Public Works Department to let us know you are flushing your hot water heater so we don’t mistake the flushing for water waste.
If you have any questions, or need to notify of us flushing, please call us at (209) 385-6800.
Happy Flushing
Be a good neighbor, help conserve water. The City of Merced’s Water division reminds you that as the seasons change and you think of watering your lawn, to check your sprinkler timers to ensure that you are following the odd/even schedule. Addresses ending in an odd number can water on Sundays, Wednesday, and Fridays. Addresses ending in an even number can water on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Water only in the morning or in the evening; no mid-day watering between 11 AM and 7 PM. Call 385-6800 for more information.
Instead of buying expensive and possibly toxic chemicals to clean up around the house, try some of these helpful recipes for cleaning up. To clean the drain, pour a half-cup of baking soda down the drain and add at least a cup of vinegar. Cover the drain, wait a few minutes, and then rinse with a mixture of boiling water and salt. For window cleaning, mix two ounces of vinegar with a quart of water in a spray bottle. Happy Green Spring Cleaning! Did you know that a used aluminum can is recycled and back on the grocery shelf as a new can in as little as 60 days? There is no limit to how many times aluminum can be recycled. And at one time aluminum was more valuable than gold! (From Recycling Revolution.com) In these lean times, don’t throw money away, take your aluminum to a local recycler and put a little cash back in your pocket. Or if you don’t have time, toss your used cans in your blue recycling container along with your other mixed recycling, like paper or plastic bottles. Recycling today leads to a cleaner tomorrow. Our water is quite an asset. On average a gallon of tap water in the U.S. costs a fraction of a penny. Compare that to a gallon of other liquids we often use; a gallon of gas about $3.02; a gallon of café lattes, $35 to $52; a gallon of soda about $4.00; and a gallon of milk about $3.29. Bottled water costs 1900% more than tap water and is no purer. So in these tough economic times, drink water, it will save you some dollars. Stats provided by the American Water Works Association. The City of Merced reminds you to help conserve water. Use a spray nozzle with a shut off valve to wash your car. Plant low irrigation vegetation and check your timers to ensure that you are following the odd/even schedule. Addresses ending in an odd number can water on Sundays, Wednesday, and Fridays. Addresses ending in an even number can water on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Water only in the morning or in the evening; no mid-day watering between 11 AM and 7 PM. For more information call, 385-6800, for the City of Merced Public Works Department. As American’s we are great consumers, as consumers we can be very green in celebrating the holidays. ‘Tis the season to recycle all your holiday wrapping paper, tissue, boxes and paper gift bags. Remember that Styrofoam packing should go in your gray trash can or just save it for your future packing needs. After Christmas, you can dispose of your unflocked tree in the green can. Be sure to cut the tree to fit into the can so the lid can close and remove all tinsel and other decorations. Happy Holidays from the City of Merced, Public Works Department, feel free to call us with any green questions, 385-6800.
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