May is Water Awareness Month in California and we want to help spread the word about water conservation, water efficiency and watershed health with our own 'Water Matters' month.

Our month long activities include:

• May 3 - May 23 Greywater Exhibit Ojai City Hall
• May 4 - May 23 Water Conservation Exhibit Ojai Library
• Saturday, May 7 Water Matters Landscape Bike Tour - limited to 10 participants
• Saturday, May 7 Creek Restoration Workday
• Tuesday Roundtable Discussion Series May 10, 17, and 24.
• Saturday, May 14 Greywater Workshop - limited to 15 participants
• Saturday, May 21 Rehydration for a Thirsty Land Workshop - limited to 20 participants

For descriptions, costs and to sign-up visit our Water Matters webpage.

Download your 'refrigerator' calendar with all activities and water saving tips here.

Whether retrofitting your home or redesigning the yard to be water wise, take advantage of the many resources available to you. Check for rebates here.

Find out if you are eligible for a free water survey by calling Larry Harris, Water Conservation Coordinator with Casitas Municipal Water District at (805) 649-2251 Extension 128.  

Above all, because most of our urban water is consumed by our yards, please learn what best to plant and best practices for maintaining your landscape. A good place to start is at Water Wise Gardening in Ventura County.

Why do we want to do all this? Because Water Matters.

Special thanks to our sponsor Nutiva.com for making Water Matters month possible, the in-kind contributions of Casitas Municipal Water District and Golden State Water, and the many individuals and businesses participating in our events, who can be found listed on the Water Matters webpage. 

Drought Over?

Water Conservation is Still Critical

The drought is officially over according to Governor Brown. Storms have increased California's snow pack, filled reservoirs and recharged groundwater basins, yet we should not assume that we have plenty.

Droughts in Southern California recur periodically depending on weather patterns. Records show that although they usually last about three years, droughts have lasted up to 25 years. "In arid Southern California," said Dennis Cushman of the San Diego County Water Authority, "we're always just one year away from the next one-year drought or the first year of a multiyear drought." Water conservation in Southern California is a way of life, and that is why our state lawmakers are being proactive in requiring reductions in water use of 20 percent by 2020.

We are especially fortunate here in Ojai to be the only intact watershed in Southern California that is not dependent on imported sources of water, but we have a limited supply.  For this reason it is even more important for us to monitor and control our water resources. Our water comes from rainfall and mountain run-off and is stored in Lake Casitas, ground basins and in wells. The Lake Casitas dam was completed in 1958.  The Lake holds 254,000 acre feet of water at capacity. It took 20 years for the Lake to fill, spilling over the dam for the first time in 1978--the last time was in 1998.  The Lake is currently at 86.8% of capacity.  Although groundwater basins and wells fill up quickly when there is rainfall, there are large drops in water levels during dry periods. We also lose a significant amount of water to evaporation, particularly in hot weather.

Another reason to conserve water is to reduce energy usage. Many consumers don't realize that electricity is needed to move water. It takes power to pump water to consumers, to filter it, heat it, and to clean it after it's gone down the drain before it gets to the ocean. According to the California Energy Commission, a fifth of the electricity used in California is related to water. On a global level, considering that only about 1% of the world's water is drinkable, it's astounding to learn how much water is used to produce common consumer choices: 39000 gallons to make a car, 1800 gallons for a pair of jeans, 400 gallons for one T-shirt, 2847 gallons to produce one pound of chocolate, 36 gallons of water for one cup of coffee, and 1920 gallons to raise 1 lb of beef. (Sources: www.treehugger.com, www.waterfootprint.org).

Global warming and changing weather patterns will continue to affect our water supply in the coming years. The water restrictions have prompted people to become more conscientious of their wasteful habits and it's been a relatively painless process-we still take showers, brush our teeth, and water our gardens. Progress has been made allowing greywater systems, installing more efficient irrigation, choosing drought-tolerant plants, and fixing leaks. The point is, we are more mindful of using water efficiently and need to continue to be mindful into the future.

For more information, go to www.casitaswater.org for tips on saving water, free water conservation devices and information on irrigation control.

Funding for Local Watershed  

Program May Dry Up  

On a sunny April morning, fourth and fifth grade Topa Topa students were enjoying a tramp among the wild radish, mustard, and vernal ponds of the Besant Meadow Preserve. Mud swallows dipped past them on the breeze and red-winged blackbirds sing atop the water reeds and native grasses across the pond.

If you are a local educator, parent, environmentalist, or birder, you may have already heard about the ongoing environmental education program that brings local students to the recovering meadow.  

What you probably don't know is that the program is in danger of losing its funding. After two successful years, "Once Upon a Watershed," made possible by the partnership of the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy, Oak Grove School, and area public schools may be discontinued due to Federal budget cuts.

Read more here. 

Our Children Matter

Come Out and Support Them May 15th!

Teenager Avery Hellman wants to make an environmental statement this May 15. She's asking her Ojai peers to stand up with her and say, "I make a difference."  The Thacher School student is one person in an international movement, the iMatter March, that began right here in Ojai Valley.  

"Our climate, our future, our revolution" is the battle cry of Alec Loorz, founder of the iMatter March, a web based movement looking to enlist youth for a worldwide march calling for environmental action.

"I took part in the Green Schools Conference in January where Alec gave a speech about the iMatter March," said Hellman. "He held meetings for people that were interested in starting to organize in their own schools and I joined in."

The presentation Loorz gave was on his group, "Kids vs. Global Warming," a non profit website based project of Earth Island Institute, and their work to organize an international "million kid march" on this Mother's Day. Loorz said the march, happening in all 50 states and countries worldwide, is to issue a wake-up call to the "ruling generation and to begin to live as if our future matters."

Read more here.