Since March 2014 I have been an active participant of the Santa Clara Valley Water District's Landscape Committee. Before my time, the idea of irrigation equipment standards was brought up, but never materialized at the time. In early 2015, the then and current Water Conservation Manager for the Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD), Jerry De La Piedra, brought the idea back to the SCVWD board of directors. It was discussed and crafted with the help of the landscape committee, authored by Assembly Member Nora Campos as assembly bill 1928 and sponsored by the SCVWD. The bill passed the floor in late August and California Governor Jerry Brown approved and signed the bill into law on September 13, 2016.
The bill simply states that irrigation equipment must adopt performance standards and labeling requirements by January 2019. Performance standards will be considered based on the Irrigation Associations Smart Water Application Technology Program protocol. No new irrigation equipment for landscape irrigation shall be sold or offered for sale unless it meets the performance standards and labeling requirements.
It's a powerful bill to come from the committee when at times it feels like all we do is discuss our shared quixotic takes on water conservation. This small committee was able to produce real change that will help guide California water conservation.
Click on the hyperlink to see the letter from the board of directors.
