Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
Sorted by date Results 26 - 34 of 34
Can you believe – another article about grass! If you’ve been following this column, you know Tehachapi-Cummings County Water District (TCCWD) applied for a grant to do a lawn removal rebate program but didn’t get it. We’re still going to teach the classes: Landscape for the Future July 25: Lose the Lawn August 1: Design Your New WaterWise Landscape August 8: Irrigating Your New Landscape August 15: Landscape Ecology All classes are free, Saturday mornings for an hour from 9 to 10 a.m. and breakfast goodies are provided. The classes are hel...
I’ve heard lots of ideas about where we could get more water: Oregon, desalination. I say let’s go out into space, grab an ice comet, and land it right in Brite Lake! Like it or not, our California climate is becoming warmer and drier. A vast green lawn may become a luxury few of us can afford. TCCWD applied for a grant to do a lawn removal rebate program but we were turned down. There are too many emergency water supply projects that need funding. So we’re giving the classes anyways! Classes are free, and include breakfast treats and beverages...
Driving around Tehachapi Valley, I see a lot of lawns turning a lovely shade of greenish gold that shows people are cutting back on their lawn watering. Good job, you guys! So, why is it that lawn takes so much water? Density. Your lawn has thousands and thousands of individual grass plants packed together. All of them need the same amount of water and other resources. That means the water in the soil is depleted quickly. Phenology. That’s a scientific term for the cyclic pattern of a species: growth, flowering, setting seed. Our lawn g...
The FREE low flow toilets and FREE installation program has been available to City of Tehachapi residents and businesses with older buildings since September, 2014. For those who participated – you rock! However, the response has been less than overwhelming, and I've been mystified. Here are some reasons people might not participate. 1. Fear of having a stranger come into the house. Meet Jason, our installer (photo). He has worked for Southwest Environmental (SWE) for 15 years, and can i...
Our Low Flow Toilet Direct Install program is free to anyone in the City of Tehachapi (with buildings older than 1992 that still have the old high flow toilets), and we just expanded the program to Golden Hills multi-family properties. Our installation contract ends July 30, which means you need to get your application in by June. If you’ve been thinking about participating, NOW is the time! The application is available on-line at tccwd.com/water-conservation/ or call me at 661-822-5504. If you’re outside city limits in the CSD or County, the...
Hot Tip #1 – Don’t fertilize this spring or summer. Fertilized plants start growing faster and need more water. With some exceptions, your landscape plants can get by without fertilizer. Hot Tip #2 – Deep infrequent watering is more effective than watering frequently for just a few minutes. Hot Tip #3 – Only water what’s important. Vegetable gardens are making food. Trees provide shade and improve your property value. If you have an award-winning rose garden that you love, that’s important! Most of the shrubs in our landscapes can get by with...
Recently, I took a day trip to Red Rock Canyon State Park. I was enchanted and delighted by the blooming desert. It’s tough to go hiking when you’re trying not to step on the flowers! We stopped for a water break, but my constant companion, Coyote, “the Wonder Dog”, was not very thirsty. Sitting on a rock with his leftover water in my hand, I looked down at a carpet of tiny spring plants struggling in the sandy soil. It suddenly struck me that, at that moment, every drop did count. The bit of water I was about to spill on the ground was a m...
Got a lawn? Its spring and we’re starting into what I call “the irrigation season.” But this won’t be an ordinary irrigation season and this year is not an ordinary year as we continue to face “The Drought that Ate California!” The State Water Resources Control Board just recently passed Phase 2 of the Emergency Water Conservation Regulation and it now requires water agencies to limit the number of days per week that customers can irrigate landscapes. Love your lawn? Ok, calm down and take a deep breath. The good news is, two days per week is...
Greetings! I’m very excited to be starting a regular column for The Loop, on a topic that matters to us all – Water. Do you know where your water comes from? The faucet – right! But let’s take a look at the back story, because Tehachapi Valley has already come close to running out of water once upon a time. The settlement of Tehachapi Valley began in earnest with the completion of the rail line over Tehachapi Pass in 1876. The settlers grazed cattle and sheep and grew dryland grains, and the town supported a thriving mining industry. Farming...
