120 replies to this topic

[folsom500]

Welp, there goes our plans of building a vegetable garden this spring.

Not a problem for veg garden- use a drip system and you can water every day -

[Bill Z]

Which fish are you worried about? All these lakes are manmade.

I think the environmentalists are always worried about the precious delta smelt, why, I have no idea. Before man controlled river flows, the delta routinely would get salt water pumped into by the tides because summer flows would weaken. The smelt survived back then. Of course I don't how many are killed by the pumps used to fill the aqueduct, but that would be a good place to start saving the fish, turn off the pumps and build de-salinization plants for LA and other parts of SoCal.

[Toadster]

City Manager Kerry Miller said stage three was going to mean more restrictions on residents.

What about restrictions on the city? Have they stopped watering parks, tree lines, landscaping?

I have seen MANY homes with water running every day - how should we tag those homes?

[Folsom Guy]

There are going to be a lot of brown lawns around town this summer. We'll know who isn't complying with the restrictions... they'll have the green lawns.

They have been talking about metering water in Folsom for past several years...I think city can do a load of service if they can include the probable based on actual water usage (probably by computing with Sacramento area average rates).

Seeing that stark difference in what we are paying and what we could end paying when metered will defnitely make us all stop and think.

[Toadster]

They have been talking about metering water in Folsom for past several years...I think city can do a load of service if they can include the probable based on actual water usage (probably by computing with Sacramento area average rates).

Seeing that stark difference in what we are paying and what we could end paying when metered will defnitely make us all stop and think.

water meters are going in now, no monitoring till 2012 (I think)

[bunny]

What about restrictions on the city? Have they stopped watering parks, tree lines, landscaping?

They watered some of the parks so heavily (and daily) in both Folsom and EDH that the grass was too muddy to walk on. I suppose thats so the grass grows a lot and they have to cut it a lot, which means more full employment for more landscapers.

[cw68]

Yeah, it would be nice to be able to go boating, but that's not what I'm worried about. I like to garden. I'm gradually reducing the amount of lawn I have and don't mind letting part of it go brown, but I want to be able to have a vegetable garden and keep my mature trees alive and I don't consider that self-absorbed. I like to keep my pond full to keep the plants and fish alive. My pond also attracts a large variety of different birds as well as the occasional squirrel for water. I like to take showers and drink water. That's why I want to see a full lake.

There are a few things here to note. Drip irrigation can be done everyday, so you're good to go on a vegetable garden.

As for mature trees 1) planting climate appropriate trees would enable them to survive a watering schedule and 2) you don't water trees everyday; they need deep watering at the drip line which, incidentally, is done quite well with a drip system.

The best way to keep a yard looking nice is to choose climate appropriate plants!

[cw68]

I think the environmentalists are always worried about the precious delta smelt, why, I have no idea. Before man controlled river flows, the delta routinely would get salt water pumped into by the tides because summer flows would weaken. The smelt survived back then. Of course I don't how many are killed by the pumps used to fill the aqueduct, but that would be a good place to start saving the fish, turn off the pumps and build de-salinization plants for LA and other parts of SoCal.

Delta smelt is the only fish living in the waterway between Folsom and the ocean? Wow, who knew?

Before man controlled river flows, we didn't have a lake in Folsom to worry about getting low. Before man controlled river flows, we didn't live where there wasn't enough water to support us. Before man controlled river flows, dams were made by beavers!

[Robert Gary]

Thanks. Good to know. Do they consider modifying that in dry years?

DOn't read too much into this. The flow rates change hourly.

-Robert

[DrKoz23]

Delta smelt is the only fish living in the waterway between Folsom and the ocean? Wow, who knew?

Exactly!

So much for those depleting salmon populations. The warmer waters due to lower flows on the rivers have been killing quite a few of them. Salmon runs are at record lows.

I guess some people have already written them off.

[Robert Gary]

We have one. I avoid using it because the water comes out *HOT*. You can burn yourself on the steam.

About $150 for the basic model at the Lowes or Home Depot. About $80 for installation, but I hear Darthvader occassionally runs a special for less.. You will need an additional hole in your sink, like an unused soap dispenser.

Thanks

Jeff

[ducky]

There are a few things here to note. Drip irrigation can be done everyday, so you're good to go on a vegetable garden.

As for mature trees 1) planting climate appropriate trees would enable them to survive a watering schedule and 2) you don't water trees everyday; they need deep watering at the drip line which, incidentally, is done quite well with a drip system.

The best way to keep a yard looking nice is to choose climate appropriate plants!

I have an older home and it came with these trees, two of which are over 30 years old. I'm not going to chop them down because they provide great shade and help reduce my energy consumption. I try to replace anything that dies with climate appropriate plants. I have torn out a good portion of lawn and put in a pond. The pond takes far less water than the lawn did. I surrounded it with drought-tolerant plants.

I have rain barrels that I use to water my potted stuff until the water runs out. Usually it only lasts about a month, but I figure if I wait to use them until August, it's that much less water coming out of the lake. I use mosquito tabs from OSH to keep them from becoming a breeding ground.

I installed a drip system in my veggie garden last year, but I'd like to expand but feel guilty doing so with the state of the lake level. I can't help but feel if it were allowed to stay full as much as possible we could mitigate situations like this in the future. It's not because I want to be able to waste water.

[DrKoz23]

DOn't read too much into this. The flow rates change hourly.

-Robert

Robert...

Folsom releases change hourly because of power generation. Obviously more power is needed during the daytime hours... so there is a greater release. At night... there is less.

Lake Natoma is the afterbay. It holds the water released from Folsom... and then releases the water at a constant value into the American River so the river levels do not fluctuate. The levels of Lake Natoma is what fluctuates. The value being released from Nimbus is currently 900 cfs... which would represent the hourly average out of Folsom.

Maybe you should read much into it.

[cw68]

I have an older home and it came with these trees, two of which are over 30 years old. I'm not going to chop them down because they provide great shade and help reduce my energy consumption. I try to replace anything that dies with climate appropriate plants. I have torn out a good portion of lawn and put in a pond. The pond takes far less water than the lawn did. I surrounded it with drought-tolerant plants.

I have rain barrels that I use to water my potted stuff until the water runs out. Usually it only lasts about a month, but I figure if I wait to use them until August, it's that much less water coming out of the lake. I use mosquito tabs from OSH to keep them from becoming a breeding ground.

I installed a drip system in my veggie garden last year, but I'd like to expand but feel guilty doing so with the state of the lake level. I can't help but feel if it were allowed to stay full as much as possible we could mitigate situations like this in the future. It's not because I want to be able to waste water.

That's good stuff above. Would be great if more of us did the same and maybe soon you'd be able to plant your own food without guilt.

[DrKoz23]

Here are the two images. See how Folsom fluctuates (averaging approx 900 cfs over a day)... and how Nimbus remains relatively constant. Shasta works similar with Keswick the afterbay.

 nat_plot.png   21.75K   3 downloads
 fol_plot.png   20.75K   3 downloads