Given that San Francisco's rainfall during the 2005-2006 season was about 157% of normal, it's a little weird to me that after one dry winter the PUC is raising the specter of voluntary or even mandatory water restrictions. Nevertheless, numbers don't lie (or do they?), so we better get thinking about how to reduce our water usage.
Which brings me back to the ultimate water hog, lawn. Brian of Mauby All Natural was kind enough to suggest he could "improve soil condition to a point where water use can drop by 75%." Brian's primary product seems to be compost tea, which is an excellent amendment and one whose regular use I regularly recommend for my clientele who are serious about improving the overall health of their soil. But turfgrass being turfgrass, I'm hard pressed to understand how it could thrive on 5,000 gallons of water a year instead of 20,000.
So what's better: spending 12,000 gallons (I'll give Brian partial credit) of our precious Sierra snowpack on irrigation each year, or tossing 750 square feet of plastic into the landfill each decade? I honestly don't know the answer. If you do, please share with the class.
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