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Summer is Here!

Water Rule W-8 beganin May. Odd addressesirrigate on Sundays,

Wednesdays and

Fridays, beore 10 a.m.and ater 5 p.m. Evenaddresses irrigate on

uesdays, Tursdays,and Saturdays, beore10 a.m. and ater 5 p.m.Also, automatic shut-ofnozzles are to be usedon every hose. Tank

you Los Alamos, andlets keep up the excel-lent water conservationeforts while maintain-ing our aesthetics andquality o lie.

Waterwise

Contributors

Waterwise welcomes yoursuggestions and contri-butions. Send them to:DPU@lacnm.us or call usat 662-8333.

Christine Chavez

Los AlamosDept of Public Utilitiescy.chavez@lacnm.us,662-8147

Richard Heim,National ClimaticData Center, NOAA

Editor: Allison MajureDept. of Public Utilities

allison.majure@lacnm.us

By Christine ChavezConservation CoordinatorLos Alamos Dept. of Public Utilities

Several Los Alamos county residentshave expressed an interest in the useo gray water in their landscapes andI thought this would be appropriatetiming to share this inormationwith you. Especially since we canexpect that our outdoor summerirrigation use will grow, as it typicallytriples in the hot summertimemonths.

Defning Gray WaterTe use o gray water, as opposed toour potable drinking water supplyto irrigate our landscapes, is anexcellent alternative or preservationo our resh water supply. You willalso save more money on your waterand sewer bill and have a constantsource o water or irrigation even inthe toughest periods o drought.Gray water is dened by the NewMexico Environment Department

as untreated household wastewaterthat has not come in contact withtoilet waste and includes wastewaterrom bathtubs, showers, washbasins,clothes washing machines andlaundry tubs, but does not includewastewater rom kitchen sinks ordishwashers or laundry water romthe washing o material soiled withhuman excreta, such as diapers.Water rom toilets is consideredblackwater and is not suitable or any

reuse inside or outside o your home.

Gray Water is Not E uentGray water should not be conuswith treated e uent water thatcomes out o DPUs wastewater

treatment plant. E uent is treateand wastewater is delivered to soo our high-volume waters usersor irrigation such as the municipgol course. I the amount o grawater that you use amounts to lesthan 250 gallons per day then a gwater permit rom the NMED isrequired.

Gray Water Rules and RegsTe gray water originating romyour residence has to be used wityour property boundary and it mbe discharged to a mulched suraarea or to an underground irrigatsystem. Te 2003 regulations issby the NMED detail the rules ogray water use on your landscapecan be looked at on their websitehttp://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/od/LiquidWaste/graywater.htmGray water may contain ats,

oils, grease and other chemicalsin addition to elevated levels ochlorides, sodium and higher pHthereore it is important to selectyour planting material careully. may also want to use biodegradaband environmentally riendly soaproducts as well as eliminate the o chlorine bleach.

Irrigating with Gray WaterRoot crops should not be irrigate

with gray water but ruit and nuttrees generally do well with gray

Gray Water Use in Your Home and GardeBy Christine Y. Chavez, DPU Conservation Coordinator

JULY 2012

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WaterwiseLiving

U.S. Drought Monitor

http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu

Intensity:

D0 Abnormally Dry

D1 Drought - Moderate

D2 Drought - Severe

D3 Drought - Extreme

D4 Drought - Exceptional

Drought Conditions (Percent Area)

New Mexico

June 26, 2012Valid 7 a.m. EST

The Drought Monitor focuses on broad-scale conditions.Local conditions may vary. See accompanying text summary

for forecast statements.

Richard Heim, National Climatic Data Center, NOAA

Released Thursday, June 28, 2012

None D0-D4 D1-D4 D2-D4 D3-D4 D4

Current

Last Week

(06/19/2012 map)

3 Months Ago

(03/27/2012 map)

Start ofCalendar Year(12/27/2011 map)

Start ofWater Year

(09/27/2011 map)

One Year Ago

(06/21/2011 map)0.00 100.00 93.98 87.35 71.18 49.09

0.00 100.00 96.40 88.99 69.61 35.13

8.63 91.37 87.60 72.15 23.37 7.57

10.65 89.35 81.79 60.97 24.94 9.13

0.00 100.00 99.64 81.29 25.17 0.00

0.00 100.00 99.64 85.75 25.25 0.00

water irrigation so long as efort is taken tooccasionally irrigate with another water source toush accumulated salts and nutrients. In general,native plants which are drought tolerant do bestwith gray water irrigation. Te New MexicoO ce o the State Engineer recommends treessuch as the cottonwood, olive, locust, juniperand pinon and shrubs such as Chamisa, ourwinged saltbush and privet as appropriate planting

materials or use with gray water irrigation.Also because gray water is usually alkaline it isimportant to avoid using gray water on plants thatrequire an acidic environment.

More Inormation.For more inormation on how to design a simplegray water system in your home please reerencethe easy to ollow guide written by the NewMexico O ce o the State Engineer ConservationBureau ound at

http://www.ose.state.nm.us/water-ino/conservation/pd-manuals/NewMexGWGuide.

pd

I you have any additional questions or would liketo request a ree hard copy o the above manualalong please contact Christine Y. Chavez at 662-8147 or at cy.chavez@lacnm.us.

Master Gardeners Tour in August

Te 2012 Garden our produced by the NMSULos Alamos Master Gardeners eatures ve privagardens and the Los Alamos Community Gardenon North Mesa. Te gardens will be open to the

public rom 10:00am untill 2:00pm on SaturdayAugust 25th.

Te tours are ree and sel guided, there will bedocents at each site; visitors may start at any

garden and visit as many as they like.

Brochures are available at both libraries, at theExtension O ce (475 20th Street), and are also

available online at http://lamgonline.org

Tis year the private gardens combine beautiul

plantings with vegetable production. Water eaturvary rom ponds to streams to ountains. Deciduou

and conierous trees, shrubs and perennials chosenor our climate and soils and creative hardscapesprovide ideas or every garden. Also included, is

a certied wildlie habitat. Please join the MasteGardeners or this years Garden our.