Swan Water Conservation

Down the Drain:                                   You’d be shocked to discover the oceans of water that we waste every single day.

Water we have long taken for granted is being depleted at an alarming rate, at huge cost to the planet. Unless things change, our children will suffer for our gluttonous ways. We can no longer count on neighboring states to supply our rapidly growing thirst for water. It’s imperative that we find ways to limit our usage to an amount less than our eco-system’s natural replacement rate.

Serious change is needed. Now.

Government mandate is already in place in many areas. Beyond taking shorter showers, fixing leaky faucets and doing only full loads of laundry, the only realistic way to comply is by severely curtailing your outdoor irrigation. Will our lawns soon be going brown and our planting beds wilting?

Is it possible to cut outdoor water use by 30 to 50%, as we’ll soon be asked to do?

Yes, I believe that we can continue to enjoy our outdoor landscapes, and do so without guilt. It requires a conservation strategy, a bit of know how, and the desire to make a difference. Here’s how to start:

Timing is everything. Replace your obsolete timer with a new Smart Controller. Properly programmed, such a controller will apply only the minimum amount of water needed. They respond to weather conditions, and allow you to program irrigation cycles at the optimal time(s) during the day.

Choose plants wisely. Plant choices abound these days. Native and drought tolerant species are beautiful year ‘round and won’t guzzle water needlessly. Visit our plant selection page for some ideas on how to get started.

Get a water audit. Poorly designed and maintained irrigation systems are huge water wasters. For example, typical lawn sprinklers waste about a third of all water applied. And that’s a best case scenario. With so much as stake, it clearly pays to work with a professional. Contact Swan Drought Tolerant Technology for a basic or comprehensive water audit.

To illustrate the potential water savings, here’s an actual case study:

Swan Drought Tolerant Technology Case Study:

Total landscape area of 13,800 square feet

7,600 sq feet: drought tolerant plants and ground cover

4,900 sq feet: drought tolerant turf variety

13,000 sq feet:  new generation artificial turf

Result: 30% reduction in water usage and matching decrease in water bill.

Swan Drought Tolerant Technologies is a part of Landscape Design, Inc. a California Corporation. Ca contractor’s lic #486431. For more information, visit our contact page.

How does it Conserve Water? This slow release of water in drip form prevents over spray, run off, and lowers evaporation rates.

How does it Prevent Weeds?Another benefit Drip Irrigation offers besides water conservation is weed control. It also helps reduce weeds because only the plants root zones are being irrigated, not the soil around it.

Converting your Sprinkler System to a Drip System: Another great thing about this system is it is easy to convert your regular hydraulic sprinkler system into a Drip Irrigation System, by using a retrofit kit.

Adams Residence, Sherman Oaks CA

Alpert Residence, Alta Loma CA

Americas Best Value Inn and Suites, Ontario CA

Bevilacqua Residence, Glendora CA

Brown Residence, Rancho Cucamonga CA

Chang Residence, Rancho Cucamonga, CA

D. Doniak Residence, Chino Hills, CA

Emilio Residence, Upland CA

Empire Offices, Ontario CA

Empire Business Center, Riverside CA

Grant Residence, Redlands CA

Gutierrez Residence, Chino Hill CA

Hill Residence, Ontario CA

Marte Residence, Long Beach CA

Montclair Townhomes, Montcliar CA

Norco Professional Office Buildings, Norco CA

T. Nelson Residence, Chino CA

Ralphs Grocery Store #77, Mission Viejo CA

Richardson Group, Orange CA

Royal Cabinets Grand Ave, Pomona CA

SCE Mountain View Generation Station, Redlands CA

Stoute Residence (Century 21 Property Management), Lake Elsinore CA

Taylor Residence, West Los Angeles CA

Unrue Residence, Chino CA

Water of Life Church, Fontana CA

Watson Building 400, Carson CA

Web Residence, Chino Hills CA

Weber Residence, Canyon Lake CA

Pozzolan is a 26 million year old volcanic ash from the Lassen Volcano in Northern California and Nevada.  When this volcano would erupt, the volcanic ash would deposit into the nearby freshwater lakes.  These lakes contained large amounts of protozoa. The skeleton of these protozoas is extremely porous and absorbent, which allows for the efficient movement of air and water available to turf and plants.

Western Pozzolan is the name of the company that distributes this product. They have designed it to work well with topdressing, hydraulic injection and drill and fill equipment. This Pozzolan product provides more oxygen to the root zone, and will retain a very high amount of plant available water. It wil beneficially change the water release pattern in the soil profile, eliminating localized dry spots and reducing irrigation requirement. Pozzolan creates a desirable balance between air and water in the soil.

Pozzolan will:

• Force open and maintain air and water passageways
• Allow the soil to absorb and hold water
• Reduce fertilizer consumption
• Reduce the frequency of watering
• Promote deeper roots
• Reduce compaction
• Reduce labor costs associated with intensive turf management
• Reduce water use by 30%

We chose to Drill and Fill the turf at the Swan office property. The drill and fill machines were provided by Turf Time West Inc. The machines drill 8” deep using drill bits 1 1/4” in diameter.  It took one ton of Pozzolan product to complete a 3,000 square foot area of turf. Using only one machine the drill and fill took two hours. With three drill and fill machines an acre and a half could be completed in one day.

This product has been researched by several prestigious colleges such as Texas Tech University and UC Davis, as well as others. The conclusions have all been positive, acknowledging the benefits that come from using this product. Pozzalon has been used all over the United States and parts of Canada, for golf courses and landscapes. If you would like to learn more about Pozzalon visit www.westernpozzolan.com

Pozzolan is a 26 million year old volcanic ash from the Lassen Volcano in Northern California and Nevada.  When applied to grass, Pozzolan provides more oxygen to the root zone, and will retain a very high amount of plant available water. This is because Pozzolan forces open and maintains air and water passageways which allows the soil to absorb and hold water more efficiently. This will also result in reduced frequency of watering. Pozzolan promotes deeper roots and reduces water use by 30%

It is applied by a process called “Drill and Fill”, which is a large machine that drills the Pozzolan 8” deep into the turf.

 The Pozzolan Drill and Fill treatment was conducted for the city of Palmdale at the Messari Soccer Park located on 55th Street on September 21st 2010. The Pozzolan treatment was also conducted at the Foglesong Park Base Ball Field located on Avenue H in Barstow on September 22nd 2010. The parks were both about 40,000 square feet and each required 4 of the Drill and Fill Machines. Each park took about 8 hours to complete.

Swan will be monitoring the results of the Pozzolan treatment for 90 days to make sure there is a reduction in both of the Parks water use.

A new generation of artificial turf is afoot

Let’s face it: artificial turf has taken a bad rap for a long time. At one time its tacky reputation may have been deserved. Today it’s a different story. Artificial turf bears little resemblance to that nasty stuff your father-in-law used to carpet his enclosed patio.

So why would anyone want to invest in a roll-out lawn? Let’s count just a few of the reasons you might want to consider:

Realistic Appearance: Would you like a lawn that looks great any time of year? Bring on the heat wave. No worries if the sprinkler system goes down. Weekly soccer practice can’t even put a dent in it.

True Low Maintenance: Get rid of your lawnmower, and fire the lawn crew. Never buy fertilizer again. Never worry about weeds and bald patches. Say goodbye to sprinkler system repairs.

Tenant and User Friendly: Eliminate that noisy weekly ritual of cutting the grass which disturbs tenants and neighbors and is a constant inconvenience to visitors.

Eco-Aware: Demonstrates your commitment to the environment. Fulfills the growing need of utility operators and municipalities to provide an earth-friendly example to customers and citizens.

Sound Investment: With a 20 year life expectancy, available rebates and rapid recapture of investment, artificial turf is a fiscally sound choice.

Utility Mandates: The LADWP is already enforcing mandatory conservation. Violators are subject to penalties.

Current manufactured turf emphasizes natural appearance. Photo: Guttorm Raknes

Today’s tight budgets, persistent drought along with mandatory regulation might make for a perfect storm. Citizens, taxpayers, and businesses everywhere may soon come to realize that natural grass lawns are an indulgence we can no longer afford to entertain. Artificial turf is a practical and responsible choice that today makes more sense than ever before.

Wanna’ know more about artificial turf? Check out this recent Fox News interview or contact Swan Drought Tolerant Technologies, a division of Landscape Design Inc.

Wood Mulch: a variety of colors and textures

Need a quick and easy way to enhance the beauty of your landscape and save water? A well selected mulch or top dressing will enhance your outdoor landscape in many ways:

• Reduce irrigation by 20% or more
• Completely eliminate irrigation in targeted areas
• Enhance appearance, even under hardy conditions
• Moderate soil and environment temperates
• Prevent destructive and wasteful runoff
• Reduce weeds, and simplify maintenance

Swan’s interest in mulch is for the purpose of replacing high water use ground cover around trees and shrubs, with mulches, thus eliminating the need for expensive irrigation. Mulches conserve soil moisture by blocking in water to prevent evaporation. They also moderate soil temperatures, prevent weed growth, and prevent water run-off from over watering. Using mulch can add up to 20% in water savings.

Wood Products
These natural products originate from American forests, and are a recycled by product of the lumber industry. Made from the tree bark, they will last anywhere between 2 to 3 years with only minimal maintenance.

Rock Products
Rock dressings will last forever, are low maintenance, though they are more expensive then other mulches. As the temperature rises, so does the rock temperature, making them ideal for cooler climates and areas not located in full sun. The heat retained by the rocks can actually extend the growing season of your plants during cool seasons.

Decomposed Granite
A natural product, soft under foot, decomposed granite is often used in drought tolerant landscapes as a substitute for ground cover. Another excellent application is for pathways where compaction and liquid stabilizer is used to prevent shifting.

Rubber
Rubber mulch is derived from recycled tires. This material is very long lived, can be painted different colors, and is an excellent retainer of moisture in the soil. Because rubber decomposes very slowly, it is not considered an eco-aware choice.

Swan Drought Tolerant Technologies is a part of Landscape Design, Inc. a California Corporation. Ca contractor’s lic #486431. For more information, visit our contact page.

Blue Agave Bands Above Retention Basin

Australian Kangaroo Paw Blue Agave Bands Above Retention Basin

Jimmys-Diner, Drought Tolerant Landscape installed by Swan Drought Tolerant Technologies. Completed August 2008

Written by Jimmy-Owner of Jimmy’s Diner

I was fortunate enough to have Swan Drought Tolerant Technologies provide their landscape services for our new restaurant complex. Swan was selected by Duran Construction and the Landscape Architect from a list of many possible landscape contractors. Swan was chosen because of their past experience working with drought tolerant plants.

After looking through a plant pallet, we decided to do a Mediterranean style drought tolerant landscape. I was very happy with the final results. I really love the Lavendula with white flowers of the Rosa Iceberg, and the Purple Shrubs that flower almost all year long. The combo of California native plants and Mediterranean plants has been a hit around here with all the customers. The landscape includes plant material that has a variety of colors and textures, combined with the proper scale that makes it all work.

By working with the landscape architect and Swan, we were able to achieve the look we wanted. I have had a good experience working with Swan on this project. I was very pleased that Forest Hill and the Swan team were able to bring the Mediterranean style landscape, together with the architectural design. I am very happy with the over all results of the landscape and would be more than happy to recommend Swan DTT for any landscape project, especially to people looking for a low maintenance and low water usage landscape.

Southern California Edison Mountain View Generation Station

Large scale projects are inherently wasteful in their use of water resources. Setting up such mega systems involves an increased number of variables, with a corresponding increased chance of errors. According to irrigation expert, Forest Hill, commericial turf applications typically include large rotor sprinkler heads with only 70% efficiency. Factoring for wind and runoff considerations, this efficiency is further decreased.

The Southern California Edison Mountain View Generation Station in Redlands California, has a very large street frontage area. It is currently planted with 2 ½ acres of turf. This facility was designed to use reclaimed water.

During the summer, the turf required thousands of gallons of water, (though recycled) still represented a large expense. The system included 38 separate valves used to irrigate the turf. The watering schedule required 12 hours a day, frequently for five or six days a week. An immense volume of water was needlessly applied to the turf each week.

Swan Drought Tolerant Technologies was selected to install the project and the assigned landscape architect specified “smart controller” manufactured by Toro. After initial configuration and programming, the system applied water only when specified by daily data from a local weather station. Now the system dynamically controls individual valve irrigation timing and is equipped to terminate all watering during rainfall periods.

Edison officials were pleased with the immediate water usage reduction, cost savings and automatic unattended operation of the system.