Thursday, October 29, 2009
FREE COMPOST!!!
In order to help encourage people to amend their soil during the fall season, we have decided to give away one bag of compost to the first 50 people who come into the office and ask for it during the month of November only. We have been giving away free bark chips for quite a while now and it has become very popular, so we thought we would take it one step further and give away some free compost. So don't wait. Come and get your bag before they are gone.
Weather Station Working
After the weather station being down for a short time, it is up and running again. If you would like to see what the current weather conditions are, just go to our website at www.pcwd.org and click on the link at the top of the page that says "click here for current weather condition. It will give you current conditions as well as graphs charting what the weather has been since midnight.
We hope you find this to be a useful addition to our website. We think it will be especially helpful to those of you who live off the hill and would like to see what the weather is doing prior to making the trip up. We get many calls on road conditions, amount of snow fall and weather conditions in general, so we thought this would be a useful addition to the water district.
For those of us that live here full time, it is helpful to see what the temperature is prior to venturing outside or how fast the wind is blowing. We hope it is something that you find useful. Please let us know how you like it.
We hope you find this to be a useful addition to our website. We think it will be especially helpful to those of you who live off the hill and would like to see what the weather is doing prior to making the trip up. We get many calls on road conditions, amount of snow fall and weather conditions in general, so we thought this would be a useful addition to the water district.
For those of us that live here full time, it is helpful to see what the temperature is prior to venturing outside or how fast the wind is blowing. We hope it is something that you find useful. Please let us know how you like it.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Compost, what good is it?
While living in Pine Cove is generally a good thing, trying to have a garden or grow things up here can be a challenge. Between the short growing season, the poor soil, the altitude and the lack of moisture, one can begin to wonder if gardening is an exercise in futility.
The good news is that you can have a sucessful garden, but it will take a little work. One of the best things you can do to ensure gardening sucess, is to add compost to your soil. This applies to your native plants as well as any areas you wish to plant in. This is beneficial in several ways. In an article written by Gary Nakamura, of the University of California, in July 2003 entitled Living in Southern California Forests, he briefly explains the benefits of compost.
"In California’s Mediterranean climate, water is usually limited during the growing season. Most of the precipitation occurs in the winter and runs off. All the water plants have for growth is that retained in the soil, so the depth, texture (sandy, clay, rocky), and organic matter content determines how much water will be available to plants. Protecting the soil from erosion and compaction is important to maintaining its waterholding capacity."
Now, if you are trying to grow vegetables for instance, you are going to have to water your garden. Since we are all trying to conserve water, you certainly don't want to waste it in the garden. Every drop needs to count. By amending your soil with compost, whether bought from the store or made in your own yard, you are not only increasing the nutrient content of your soil, but you are improving the soils ability to absorb and hold water, thereby making the watering you do much more efficient. If you go one step further and add a layer of mulch after the garden is planted, the mulch will help retain the moisture and in turn, save water. If you use a natural material for your mulch, such as bark chips, which we offer for free here at Pine Cove Water District, you will have the added benefit of the bark chips slowly decomposing over time and themselves turning into compost as well.
Now that we are in the throws of autumn, it is the perfect time to get out there and amend your soil. There are many types of soil amendments available at hardware stores, home improvement centers and garden centers. Starting now will enable you to reap big rewards come spring.
Throught the month of November, we are giving away a free bag of compost to the first 50 people who come to the water district and ask for it!
The good news is that you can have a sucessful garden, but it will take a little work. One of the best things you can do to ensure gardening sucess, is to add compost to your soil. This applies to your native plants as well as any areas you wish to plant in. This is beneficial in several ways. In an article written by Gary Nakamura, of the University of California, in July 2003 entitled Living in Southern California Forests, he briefly explains the benefits of compost.
"In California’s Mediterranean climate, water is usually limited during the growing season. Most of the precipitation occurs in the winter and runs off. All the water plants have for growth is that retained in the soil, so the depth, texture (sandy, clay, rocky), and organic matter content determines how much water will be available to plants. Protecting the soil from erosion and compaction is important to maintaining its waterholding capacity."
Now, if you are trying to grow vegetables for instance, you are going to have to water your garden. Since we are all trying to conserve water, you certainly don't want to waste it in the garden. Every drop needs to count. By amending your soil with compost, whether bought from the store or made in your own yard, you are not only increasing the nutrient content of your soil, but you are improving the soils ability to absorb and hold water, thereby making the watering you do much more efficient. If you go one step further and add a layer of mulch after the garden is planted, the mulch will help retain the moisture and in turn, save water. If you use a natural material for your mulch, such as bark chips, which we offer for free here at Pine Cove Water District, you will have the added benefit of the bark chips slowly decomposing over time and themselves turning into compost as well.
Now that we are in the throws of autumn, it is the perfect time to get out there and amend your soil. There are many types of soil amendments available at hardware stores, home improvement centers and garden centers. Starting now will enable you to reap big rewards come spring.
Throught the month of November, we are giving away a free bag of compost to the first 50 people who come to the water district and ask for it!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Reminder!
Just a quick reminder that water bills are due by October 25. The next billing cycle will be on or about December 1. If you have any questions regarding your bill, please call Becky at 951-659-2675 and she will be more than happy to explain our billing procedures to you. Thank you.
Chilly Morning
Yesterday and today, the temperatures have been a bit cooler. Since it is autumn, this is to be expected. These chilly days are the perfect time to remind everyone to get their homes winterized.
The Town Crier will be publishing a Winterizing Guide at the end of October and there will be lots of helpful information to help you get ready and prevent an unexpected problem such as a frozen water pipe.
Please remember to call us if you have any questions what so ever about what to do once winter arrives. If you cannot locate your customer shut off valve, please call us a 951-659-2675 during normal business hours when the weather is good and we will be more than happy to send someone over to help you locate you valve and show you how to turn it off.
It's like that old saying, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Very true when it comes to preventing a problem with your water pipes this winter.
The Town Crier will be publishing a Winterizing Guide at the end of October and there will be lots of helpful information to help you get ready and prevent an unexpected problem such as a frozen water pipe.
Please remember to call us if you have any questions what so ever about what to do once winter arrives. If you cannot locate your customer shut off valve, please call us a 951-659-2675 during normal business hours when the weather is good and we will be more than happy to send someone over to help you locate you valve and show you how to turn it off.
It's like that old saying, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Very true when it comes to preventing a problem with your water pipes this winter.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
School Daze
This week Vicki Jakubac and Jerry Holldber are making a presentation at Idyllwild Elementary School. On Tuesday, Vicki discussed groundwater and the water cycle with Mrs. Tirheimer's 3rd, 4th and 5th grade GATE class. On Wednesday, Jerry will be presenting some sample boards of a water meter as well as an outside drip irrigation system. Vicki will be discussing conservation with the children after Jerry's presentation and give them some tips on how they can save water at home. On Thursday, Vicki will end the presentation by having the kids make Edible Earth Parfaits to teach them about geologic formations in an aquifer. We will end the day by presenting each child with a Certificate of Participation for their efforts in learning about ground water and conservation. This has been quite an experience and we hope the kids have learned a lot and enjoyed our presentation.
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