Water Conservation

Native Plant Community Installation Lake Tahoe, California	Drought Tolerant Landscape Interstate Route 80 Davis, California

The Department of Transportation is a good steward of California’s limited water resources. The Department actively manages, promotes and implements water conservation practices within the highway transportation system and associated facilities. Cost effective and appropriate water conservation strategies are employed in the design, construction, operation and maintenance of transportation facilities including, to the maximum extent practicable, the use of recycled water and state of the art irrigation technology for highway landscaping.

Water Conservation Techniques

• Select plant material appropriate to the local rainfall, soils, and exposure. Native plants shall be used to the maximum extent feasible.
• When specifying containerized plant material and for project sites with compacted soils (if not already rootable), fracture or rip the soils to a 3' depth and incorporate a minimum of 1" of compost into the top 12 inches of soil.
• Apply 2" - 3" of wood chip or bark mulch in a 2' to 3' diameter around the plant to conserve soil moisture and control weeds.
• Use recycled water or non potable whenever available, consistent with quality and health standards, and within justifiable costs.
• Whenever possible, utilize "smart" irrigation controllers to minimize the amount of supplemental water required.

Governor's Office Documents

Date	Title
06-04-2008	Governor Proclaims Drought, Orders Immediate Action to Address Situation
06-04-2008	Governor Schwarzenegger’s Executive Order S-06-08
02-27-2009	Governor Schwarzenegger Takes Action to Address California’s Water Shortage Proclaims State of Emergency, Directs Government to Utilize Resources, Help People

caltrans Guidance and Manuals

Date	Title
08-23-2010	Water Conservation Memorandum This memo provides an update on California water conditions, compliance with water rationing procedures, and clarification on the state's Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance. This document will help you understand and contribute to the Department's commitment to efficiently managing water use within the roadside.
06-10-2010	Water Shortage Status Sheet
03-04-2010	Caltrans Project Development Procedures Manual Chapter 29 - See Landscape Architecture Section 2 - Highway Planting Ready to List Certification - Water Use for Planting and Irrigation
07-18-2008	Caltrans Headquarters Memo to District Offices
01-09-2006	Highway Design Manual - See Topic 902.3 Planting Guidelines, and Topic 902.4 Irrigation Guidelines
09-01-1993	Water Conservation Deputy Directive (DD-13)
07-1998	Assessment of Remote Irrigation Control Systems

California Water Agencies

The link below lists all of the State's water agencies.

http://www.acwa.com/content/acwa-regions

NATIVE GRASS SOD WEBINAR

 

Water Conservation LINKS

	Click Links for More Information
	KCRA Sacramento Channel 3 broadcast highlights Caltrans use of automated irrigation controllers to effectively manage water use along Highway 99.
	Caltrans Native Grass Sod Research Native grass was found to provide the following benefits: Low water requirements once established. Immediate soil cover, providing immediate control of surface erosion. Immediate minimum 55% reduction in site sediment loss. Greatly reduced competition from invasive weed species. Low maintenance costs due to a reduction in weed emergence and survival.
	Caltrans "transPLANT" Plant Selection Tool TransPLANT is an advisory aid to Caltrans Landscape Architects as they select grasses, forbes and other plants for erosion control, revegetation, biofiltration, and other planting work. Use of transPLANT is intended to supplement, not replace, knowledge of local areas held by District personnel. A visit to the project site is still recommended before the final selection of plant materials is made.
	Caltrans Native Grass Selection Tool Prepared by University of California Davis, this tool provides a method to select the most appropriate native grass species based upon criteria such as county, rainfall, elevation, and plant community.
	Highway Artscape: The Interstate 5 / SR-54 Project From - Landscape Online.com magazine. Caltrans District Landscape Architect - Tom Ham Project Designer - Catalina Flores How Caltrans designs affordable, attractive, context-sensitive roadsides with low water usage and low maintenance requirements.