Friday's Follow Up!

Today I had my water saver pre-inspection to see what needed to be changed to pass inspection to get some of that rebate money. I knew some things would pass, like the dual flush toilet (1.6 and .9 gallons per flush) and the single 1.6 gpf toilet (that seemed SO water saving a few years ago…..and I guess it was compared to what we had before). There is no money for changing out to a 1.28 as so little water savings would ensue it wasn't included as a recommendation to do in the report that was generated to pick the best ways to save (see the Maddaus Report OR "Water Conservation Implementation Plan for The Los Osos Wastewater Project").

More of concern were the fixtures in the bathrooms and the faucet in the kitchen. There seemed to be no way to modify them at all and it was depressing to think that the fancy fixtures that we spent days picking out (and a fair amount of money on) might need to go to recycle-land.

So the appointed hour arrived and the young woman water auditor arrived and the tests began. She used a 5-gallon paint bucket (mostly to carry the measuring device—to keep water off your floors, although there was a chart on the side which she consulted once) and what looked like a mixer bowl for making pancakes with a handle and measurements marked on it. She held the mixer bowl under the water flow and timed the water coming from each shower and faucet. The amount in the bowl indicated either a pass or a no-pass. She was quite fast about doing the whole thing, and really nice answering all of my dopey questions too.

Here's what I learned:

• The amount the fixture says it will deliver on the literature varies in reality greatly. Two identical bathroom faucets delivered different amounts, (both under the limit, thank goodness). Not sure if the difference was a change in water pressure in the two locations, or because one spout is deck mounted and one is wall mounted.

(The camera lens is exaggerating the spout diameter, it is uniform!)

• Both our showerheads are identical models, but the valve on one is fixed, the water is on or off, you adjust the temperature by rotating the handle (this one did not pass at almost 3 gpm) and the valve on the other, while rotating to the desired temperature, also pulls out to give more or less of a spray (this one passed at almost 2gpm).

• The kitchen sink faucet, rated to go up to 2.2 gpm with no apparent way to add an aerator, did not pass with an output of slightly over 2 gpm, but it can be modified by removing a little plastic disc in the center and putting in an aerator! Thank goodness. That one was another agonizing fixture to pick out. A $5.00 rebate applies and I am good with that.

• If a plumber can find a way to restrict the output on the one shower that is at almost 3gpm to down 2 gpm or less, it will pass inspection, but no rebate as it will not be replaced. I will find out and report later.

• Fixtures deliver water influenced by water pressure in the neighborhood and in your individual house too. What the fixture is rated to deliver is only the maximum it could deliver, not what it will deliver.

• New showerhead designs are coming out all the time, so if nothing matches the style that you have now, you might wait a bit and find one a little later on.

• So now what else can I do to save water and get a rebate? Our dishwasher is new, so it already saves water, no need to replace that. And the only way to have gotten money toward a recirculating pump (my first choice for an improvement) was to have both toilets at 1.28 or less and all faucets at 1.5 gpm, so we didn't quality there. But our washer is a top-loading antique. That is our best bet for the $150 rebate level.

What I Found Out

I went to the project office today at 2025 Tenth Street to find out about my lateral and what could be done about faucets that have no visible means of modification to reach the targeted goals of 1.5 gallons per minute or less. (I had gone online and found that my unmodifiable kitchen faucet for instance could put out 2.5 gpm, yikes!)

I met Michelle Houser who is the Community Liaison and who is really someone interested in getting you to the right place for answers. Very helpful! (Don't be bashful, she will put you at ease immediately!)

Michelle told me that I will need to get a pre-inspection on my faucets and the contact person to schedule that is Ray Dienzo at 788-6633. He is the Water Conservation Manager. That number will get you to a message service and he will call back as soon as humanly possible, but it might take two days, the office has been swamped lately.

Next person I needed to see was the "lateral guy," and I don't know if the same person fills that role every day that the office is open or not, but I met with Tim Cate at the next desk over who also was really helpful and perfectly patient with my endless questions. I had a whole-neighborhood lateral print-out I had made from a pdf file that had been sent to me ages ago by a Public Works guy and it really didn't mean much to me. I needed a translator!

Apparently mine was the same file from the old project and it was in Tim's big book of lateral plans. I have heard other parts of town had some lateral changes, so if you are concerned where your lateral actually is, do visit the Tenth Street office and get the guided tour.

Tim brought up my house on Google Earth Street View so he was able to show me the side of my property where the lateral will go. Many of us have ignored where the right of way actually is and filled in that big blank spot with flowers (OK, some weeds too) and in my case a bear statue. I will need to plan for eight feet to be cleared around where the lateral will go in that right of way. I can be less wide than eight feet where I pick up the line past the County-easement part on my property, I intend to hire a person to hand dig it the rest of the way to save as many plants as I can. Rotator cuff surgery is my excuse not to dig it myself!

Here is something else I learned. The County won't be allowed to dig up any trees. So if a tree has grown on top of the path to your lateral, you might want to find out how to handle that. You might need a re-route of your lateral, and as I said yesterday, time is almost up to make those changes. I see trees cut down all the time around here, but have no idea if the proper procedure was followed or not. I found this general ordinance online for us in the Coastal Zone,

"Coastal:

No tree over 8” in diameter at 4’ from the ground may be removed or killed unless a permit is first issued.   A permit can only be issued if the tree meets certain criteria.   If you feel you have a hazardous tree, or one that is damaging utilities or your house, please call us for an inspection."
http://www.slocounty.ca.gov/planning/Ordinance_Compliance_and_Enforcement/Code_Enforcement_Frequently_Asked_Questions.htm

Don't be caught flat-footed when lateral time comes to your house!

Expect to see a stake placed in your yard prior to construction on your street. This is where your lateral will go. Don't forget to visit the interactive map to see the estimated time that construction will begin on your street. Be sure to check back frequently as due to the nature of construction, especially in this archeologically sensitive area, your time may have shifted. Here is the link, and click on as close as possible to where your house actually is to get an accurate reading!

https://gisapps.hdrprojects.com/LosOsos/index.html

I lucked out on a slowdown in the pre-inspection office, I got a call back from Ray less than two hours later! My appointment is for Friday at 1:00 - I'll report how that went!