Water conservation comes to City Hall
Lolita Harper
Every month, Jim Ortiz studies the water bill and tries to find
places to save money by cutting back on the use of one of Earth’s
most precious resources. But Ortiz is not looking to save himself any
cash, he is working for Costa Mesa residents.
As the city’s maintenance supervisor for the parks division, Ortiz
is charged with finding the most efficient forms of irrigation to
keep parks and ball fields green and inviting. He is also supposed to
provide a system that is as environmentally conscious as it is
capable.
“We are always looking to conserve more water,” Ortiz said. “We
are always looking at our water bills and seeing where we can save
from last year.”
To accomplish that task, Ortiz and eight of his staff graduated
from a countywide water conservation program last month. The city
irrigation experts studied what type of hardware, landscaping and
troubleshooting concepts to use to save the most water at a six-week
Protector del Agua Training Program.
Officials from the Mesa Consolidated Water District also sent four
of their employees to the program, which was designed in part by one
of the district’s resource efficiency coordinators.
Coleen Scarminach, the water district’s administrative services
manager, said the class is designed to simply educate “people who
work with water all the time so they have the most knowledgeable
information.”
Most of the region’s water is used for outdoor irrigation, so the
class focuses in on the area where it can make the most impact, she
said. Many landscapers and city officials do not realize that using
less water is not only environmentally conscious but will help to
lower maintenance and property damage costs.
“Excess watering not only wastes water and damages the plants but
when it runs down, it deteriorates the infrastructure, which has to
be replaced more often,” Scarminach said.
Ortiz, who has a long maintenance work history and has taken four
similar courses, said he learned some very helpful tips from the
course. He also walked away with a 65-page handbook to use as an
on-site reference or training guide, he said.
“I learned so much, I would take the class again,” he said.
By implementing the information outlined in the course, he expects
the city will save a considerable amount of money.
“We should absolutely see a turn over in about a year,” he said.
The program attracts many city employees and landscapers but can
educate the common homeowner also, Scarminach said.
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