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.