How Dry I Am

Today marks the beginning of mandatory water usage reduction in Los Angeles. Yes, San Fernando Valley, that means you, too.

Residents are expected to reduce their water usage by 15%. You have been assigned a "Tier 1 allotment". If you can stick with that, you pay for water at the lowest current rate. If you exceed it, "Tier 2" pricing (a much higher rate) is applied. To find out more about how this affects you, visit the DWP website at at www.ladwp.com.

Here are rules to remember:

• Sprinklers are to be used only on Mondays and Thursdays. (Hand watering is still allowed on other days.)
• No more than 15 minutes per sprinkler station.
• Watering (by hand or by sprinkler) may not be done between 9am and 4pm.
• Don't water hard surfaces (sidewalks, driveways, etc.) or allow excess runoff to enter the street.
• Don't water if it's raining.
• Leaks must be fixed.
• If you wash your car, use a hose with a shutoff valve.
• Don't run a decorative fountain unless the water is being recirculated.
• Restaurants may not serve unrequested water.
  

This is not a complete list, and, of course, I don't guarantee its accuracy. For more information you can contact the DWP.

New Ways to Annoy Your Neighbors

Anyone who uses an automatic sprinkler system wants to know if a broken sprinkler head is allowing all that precious H₂O to shoot skyward. When I pass a house that has that problem, I knock on the door and let the people inside know what's happening. Usually, they are grateful for the information and eager to make repairs. My guess is that most wouldn't be as receptive to complaints about what time of day they water or how wet the sidewalk is.

So, the Department of Water and Power has issued these official-looking door tags, listing broken sprinklers and three other items that violate our new watering restrictions. They encourage us to nag our neighbors (anonymously) about sprinkling more than twice a week, and sprinkling in the middle of the day, and excess water on the pavement. The other side of the tag offers suggestions for saving water, including the use of "synthetic turf". I haven't seen that around here yet, but no doubt it is coming.

In the meantime, while Valley residents give up their lawns and replace the petunias with prickly pear, other states continue to experience heavy rains, storms and floods. How much better life would be if someone could invent a technology that would make it possible to spread the water around a little more evenly!

Gimme Shelter

I recently visited the West Valley Animal Care Center on Plummer Street in Chatsworth. The city of Los Angeles no longer uses the term "Animal Shelter"; apparently it's too restrictive, or perhaps not euphemistic enough. This was the first time I had been there since the recent, major renovation, and I was pleasantly surprised. Unfortunately, this will sound as though I am damning it with faint praise: it is now the nicest animal shelter I've ever seen.

The whole place seems spacious and bright, with pleasant, helpful workers, and lots of friendly pets hoping for new homes. The restrooms are clean, and there are vending machines in the main hallway. Private rooms and play areas are available for prospective adopters to get acquainted with animals of interest.

Previously, the cats were kept in a small, stuffy room with a nasty smell. The number of cages has been significantly increased and they are now in a large, well-ventilated area. The day I visited, there were many empty cages, but one of the workers told me those will soon be occupied, as there are plenty of kittens waiting in the wings that are still a bit too young for public viewing. (I recommend adopting an adult cat. As experienced pets, they adapt well to household living, and are generally easier to care for and less destructive than kittens.) The cats looked clean and healthy, and most seemed interested in interacting with visitors.

The number of dog kennels has been increased from 56 to 152. One end of each kennel is outdoors (but covered) and, through a doggy door, the other end is in an air conditioned room, so the dogs can avoid overheating. Like the cats, the dogs looked clean and healthy. Although several of them seemed sad (who wouldn't be, under the circumstances?) the majority were alert and eager for human attention.

Additionally, the center houses rabbits, birds and exotics, which I did not visit.

To find out more about pet adoption and other services available from the Department of Animal Services, visit www.laanimalservices.com.

Reducing Water Use

On a recent weekend, I ripped out a flower bed and replaced it with this "rock garden". This enabled me to cap off one sprinkler head, and convert another to cover a smaller area. This is my first effort at rock gardening. I think it's too simple; while I was taking the picture it occurred to me that instead of just red lava rock, I could have made sections using two colors to make it more interesting.

In future posts I'll include photos of some of the interesting things my neighbors have done with rocks and succulents.