Water Smart Gardens

Water Smart
Gardens: Think Now,
Plant in Spring

Now is a good time to prepare for spring planting. With careful planning, you can develop a garden that is not only beautiful but saves water and is easier to care for. Here are a few basic tips:

Select native plants.
Many are beautiful, hardy and require less water and fertilizer than other plants.
Group plants together that share similar water requirements.
Set sprinkler timers to water early in the morning.
Apply three inches of mulch around plants.

In this semi-arid region there is never enough water to waste. California is in the midst of two below average rainfall years in a row. Please call the District at 969-2271 for information and tips on how you can use water more efficiently.

Spring 2003

Covering of Ortega
Reservoir Moves Forward

Montecito Water District is working diligently to cover Ortega Reservoir. The structure was built in the 1950s by the US Bureau of Reclamation as an uncovered drinking water reservoir that now must be covered to meet modern water quality standards.

The cost of the project is being shared between MWD and the Carpinteria Valley Water District. Low interest state funds have been successfully secured for this mult-million dollar project. The reservoir cover is expected to be completed by March 2006.

Meeting quality standards in the uncovered Ortega Reservoir is a water quality tightrope. The District carries out extensive quality control activities and testing on a 24/7 basis to meet the strict and exceedingly complex state and federal water quality standards.