tree preservation programsProject 1: Conserving Water and Improving Plant Health in Large Southern California Landscapes

This was a Department of Water Resources (DWR) and a University of California Cooperative Extension project that involved the evaluation of 30 landscape sites.  It was completed in December 2007.  William Baker and Associates LLC served as the contractor, and Bruce Duenow was the project manager for the contractor portion of the work.

The goals of the project were promoting water conservation and improving the health and vigor of turfgrass, trees, and other landscapes plant materials located on each property.  There were a mix of sites that included parks, schools districts, golf courses, and other large turf and landscape facilities.  About a dozen golf courses participated, but we are prohibited from naming them due to DWR policies on confidentiality.  A total of 25 field and classroom workshops were held during the project and the final results were presented to over 100 attendees at the 2007 Turf and Landscape Institute held in Rancho Cucamonga, California.

Project 2: Evapotranspiration Adjustment Factor Study (California DWR)

The evapotranspiration adjustment factor (ETAF) is a coefficient that adjusts reference evapotranspiration (ETo) values based on a plant factor (PF) and irrigation efficiency (IE) and is used to calculate the maximum amount of water that can be applied to a landscape.

DWR has initiated a contract with the University of California (UC) to establish a comprehensive long-term study of new and established landscapes designed to meet a variety of ET Adjustment Factors and a mix of plant factors (including the 0.5 plant factor) in approximately 32 locations state wide.

Additional information will be obtained from various sources regarding landscape planning, design, installation, and maintenance practices that can save water.  The information gathered from these groups will indicate that newer technologies in emission devices and weather based irrigation controllers will improve irrigation system efficiency substantially.  The data from these sources will determine the amount and cost of water California will distribute to each region in the future.

DWR Poster 2015 Final ETAF Study Overview

ETAF Study-Published Article_ “Maintaining urban landscape health and services on reduced irrigation.”