Healdsburg to host workshops on ways to save water

Water conservation, topic No. 1 as the state suffers through a fourth year of drought, will be the subject of a series of city-sponsored workshops in Healdsburg beginning Wednesday.

First up is a workshop from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, at Foss Creek Community Center, to discuss how the city is responding to 2009 legislation that set a long-term water conservation goal of reducing per-capita urban water use by 20 percent by the end of 2020.

Healdsburg also is trying to cut immediate water use due to recent state targets imposed on cities based on their records of conservation.

City officials expect the state will end up asking Healdsburg to cut water use by 24 percent compared to 2013, according to utility conservation analyst Meg Lawrence. Last year, the city fell short of that, achieving almost an 18 percent reduction from the previous year, she said.

“Short-term goals will take some serious commitment from residents. It’s doable, but people will have to be aware and participating in the process for it to happen,” Lawrence said.

Most water conservation gains can be achieved in the yard and garden, which can easily account for half of household water use in the hotter months.

The city is offering the following workshops and forums at City Hall:

- May 20: How to inspect and evaluate the performance of your current irrigation system.

- May 28: How will mandatory water restrictions impact you?

- June 3: Basic principles of drought-tolerant landscaping.

- June 10: Landscape water budgeting and irrigation efficiency.

Each workshop is from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Additional water-saving tips are available at www.ci.healdsburg.ca.us/water.