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16 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | OCTOBER 2014 | COMMUNITy NEWS The water situation at Four Seasons grabbed more than normal attention during August with the imposition of state mandated rationing. For homeowners truly interested in what we are and have been doing to reduce consumption, I suggest attending our monthly meetings where this subject leads off every meeting. The Association currently pays for 33 water meters (16 are 2" and 17 are 1.5"). Water flows past these meters to the 4' tall metal controller boxes for distribution. The 2" lines have 2+ controllers per meter and the smaller ones have one. In total, we have 55 controllers. Controllers have varying numbers of stations depending on the area to be irrigated and type of vegetation. The station is an electric switch controlled by a clock preset to open and close a valve on the water line at specific times and for set durations. The average number of stations is 40 per controller. In order to maintain water pressure in the line only one valve per controller is open at a time. The line feeds on average 30 sprinklers. So, 55 controllers x 40 stations x 30 sprinklers = 66,000 sprinklers servicing the Association plants. During summer months many stations are activated five times daily as the clay soil will not absorb water, plant roots are shallow and the ever-varying wind blows some water away from the intended area. The watering period is usually for three minutes. Rationing guidelines restrict irrigation to three days per week. Four hours (midnight to 8 am) and eight hours (8 pm to midnight) is the watering window. These limitations preclude completion of our watering cycle during allowable hours of a given day. The Beaumont Cherry Valley Water District (BCVWD) is aware of the constraint problem and has indicated that as long as we start the cycle at the beginning of the window, we can overrun the allowable time in order to finish. The Landscape Committee and Ad- hoc Water Committee investigated potential alternatives to reduce water consumption. The first was replacing live turf with artificial turf in the lodge interior grounds. Cost for replacement was quoted at $84,000 plus an annual maintenance fee of $600. Artificial turf would be warranted for eight years. Based on an optimistic life of ten years, investment and maintenance cost would be $90,000. Our current cost of water and maintenance is $4,500 annually so the 10-year cost is $45,000 — not a good investment. Next we investigated satellite monitored controllers. This system would require a local weather station ($4,000), satellite dishes on each controller ($1,000 each x 52), monthly hookup fee ($12 each x 52), installation of three probes per controller to monitor soil moisture ($100 x 3 x 52) and two laptop computers ($500 each). Total initial cost would be $58,872. Maintenance cost would be $1,872 annually plus the usual upgrade costs for satellite and computer systems. Cost reductions of water consumption would not be guaranteed — only proposed — and there would be no reduction in manpower as the irrigation system would still need attention-again, a poor investment. A third option, still being evaluated, is the test on Crooked Creek of replacing turf with ground cover and converting sprinklers to drip. The strip on the south side of the street between the gate and Highland Springs Road is watered by two lines. Since this test area has homogeneous conditions for both the test and the control area, accurate measurements are possible with an adjustment for size (81 vs 67 sprinklers). Two flow meters were purchased for $800. Initially, the eastern area was replaced with myoporium at a cost of $1,200. Water consumption was 12 percent less for myoporium at a savings of $12 annually. Costs for weeding/trimming versus mowing were equal. Next, we replaced the western area turf and sprinklers with myoporium and a drip system for $2,500. The 12-month cost savings in water is $55 for this conversion-still a questionable investment. One other test was to reduce overall cost of plant maintenance. Here we addressed a continuing problem along Highland Springs Road. Plants at the base of the slope alongside the sidewalk have had to be replaced each year as water from the top of the slope puddles near the sidewalk in summer leaving these plants with wet feet. Plants that can handle wet feet in summer die from frost in winter. Annual replacement cost is $6,600. Replacing groundcover with turf cost $12,000. A single water meter measures water consumption on Potrero Blvd and Highland Springs. This meter identifies this area as historically consuming six percent of the total water for our meters. During the last 12 months there has been no increase in this percentage, so any increase in water has been negligible and the investment paid for itself within two years. ~ Leonard Tavernetti Landscape Committee

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