Pine Cove Water District: October 2011

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Discover Mountain Gardening

Saturday the Idyllwild Garden Club presented two speakers at their Discover Mountain Gardening program at the Caine Learning Center. Dr. James Nieh from UCSD gave a presentation on The Dangers of Being a Honey Bee. Joe Walker of Obra Verde Growers in Valley Center then spoke on Australian Perennials: Water-Wise Beauties for Your Landscape. Both speakers were very informative and I think the many people that attended learned a lot. We hope you were able to be there as well. They also had a wide variety of bulbs and plants available for sale on the deck. Hot cider and yummy home baked goodies were made available as well and everyone received a free packet of seeds to plant in their garden next spring.

It was a beautiful fall morning as everyone shopped for bulbs and enjoyed some cider and home baked goodies.

Joe Walker giving a presentation on Australian Perennials. Approximately 40 people attended this presentation.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

IGC Discover Mountian Gardening

Don't forget that this Saturday, starting at 8:30 a.m., the Idyllwild Garden Club is having their annual bulb sale as well as presenting two speakers. We are hoping that many of our Pine Cove neighbors will take advantage of this presentation because there will be some good information presented on water wise plants as well as some fire resistant plants. I think it will be very informative and the Pine Cove Water District is happy would could be a part of it.

I will be attending and taking notes and pictures and will post here about what I learned. Hopefully the information will help everyone here in Pine Cove who would like to garden with natives or incorporate some fire resistant plants into their landscape or garden.

If you would like more information, you can visit the Idyllwild Garden Clubs website at http://www.idyllwildgardenclub.net/

Hope to see you there!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

November Board Meeting

The November board meeting will be held on November 9, 2011 at 10 a.m. in the district office board room. The public is invited to attend. We hope to see you there!

Monday, October 17, 2011

Garden Club Speakers

On Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011, Pine Cove Water District partners with the Idyllwild Garden Club to host two special guest speakers. Dr. James Nieh from UCSD will be speaking about The Dangers of Being a Honey Bee. Then Joe Walker of Obra Verde Growers in Valley Center will present Australian Perennials: Water-Wise Beauties For Your Landscape and also touch a little bit on fire resistant plants. They will also be having their annual bulb sale which will feature mountain tested Native and non-native bulbs. They will be packaged with photos and instructions for your convenience. They will be for sale outside on the deck of the Caine Center.

The fun starts at 8:30 a.m. and goes until 1 p.m. We hope to see many of our Pine Cove residents there.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Heat Wave?

The weather forecasters are calling for a heat wave over the next few days. Last week they were talking possible snow and now a heat wave. The weather sure is mixed up these days. My poor tomato plants aren't sure what to do. Some keep growing and some just gave up and died off. Can't say that I blame them. It is hard to figure. And the leaves haven't started changing yet either. Hopefully, they will start soon. It won't feel like October, until they do. We have had winter and summer weather within the past week and that leaves me to wonder, where is autumn?

Board Meeting

Tomorrow, Oct. 12th, is the monthly board meeting. It begins at 10 am and the public is welcome. We hope to see you there. If you want to see what is going to be discussed at the board meeting, we post the agenda the Friday prior to the meeting. You are free to stop by and read it. We hope to see you there.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

October Rainfall Totals

Great rain storm yesterday. The weather station has recorded 1.54 inches of rain for October so far. According to weather.com, our average rainfall in October is 1.22 inches, so we are already ahead of the game. Is this a preview of things to come? No one knows for sure, but it is a good start. Rain and moisture are always welcome here in Pine Cove, no matter what the month on the calendar it is.

It also serves as a reminder that winter isn't that far off and that we should be getting ready for it, if we aren't already. While the weather is supposed to warm up again, there is no guarantee how long it will last, so it would be a good idea to get all those pesky little jobs done that you have been putting off.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Helpful Hints

Just wanted to let everyone know to check out both sides of the blog. They are loaded with tons of helpful information and phone numbers for everything from the weather to an emergency. So if you need some information about something, check out the sides of the blog and you might be pleasantly surprised. Also, if you have a link or phone number to some information that you think would be helpful to everyone here in Pine Cove, drop me a note and let me know. If it is something helpful, I will post it on the side of the blog.

Autumn Chores

Now that it is October, winter can't be far behind. Now is the perfect time to get out into the garden and get it ready for next spring. Autumn is a great time to add compost to your soil and to mulch in plants and trees that are already established. When you use a natural mulch material such as wood chips, they will slowly decompose over time and provide compost to your soil as well as helping it retain moisture. Well composted soil retains water much better than unamended soil. So adding compost and mulch to the plants already in your yard, will help them become healthier and stronger and in turn you will use less water in your garden.

So before fall turns to winter, get out there in the yard and add compost and mulch and let nature do it's work over the winter while you are inside enjoying a toasty warm fire and a hot cup of cocoa. Remember that we have free wood chips available to anyone here on the hill.

October's Board Meeting

October's board meeting will be held on October 12, 2011 at 10 a.m. As always, the public is welcome to attend. We hope to see you there.

FREE STUFF!

We have lots of things available for our customers, all free of charge. Stop by the district office to pick up yours today.

Saving Water Kit. These kits include a low flow shower head, a kitchen swivel aerator, 2 bathroom faucet aerators, toilet water saver, toilet leak detection tablets, flow meter bag and a water conservation wheel.

Blue bird houses made from recycled wood.

Wood chips to help retain moisture in your garden.

Here at the PCWD, we care about the environment and want to help our customers save water.

CURRENT REBATES

Effective 7/1/10, the District is offering a rebate program for the following items:

One half of the purchase price to a maximum on $100.00 per toilet, max of two toilets per household, for the purchase and installation of a 1.6 GPM or less, Low Flow Toilet.

$50.00 rebate for the purchase and installation of a High Efficiency/Front Loading washing machine.

$100.00 Rebate for the purchase and installation of an approved Hot Wter Recycling System, limit of 1 per household.

Smart Water Systems on outside watering an drip stystems, maximum of $150.00, decided on a case by case basis.

Rain Water Collection Systems, maximum of $150.00 decided on a case by case basis.

All rebates must be approved by the General manager and must include proof of purchase and installation and there will be no repeat rebates allowed for a minimum of 5 years. Within any fiscal year, the maximum total rebates is $250.00 per property.

Rebates for any commercial or multi-family units will be decided on a case by case basis and must be approved by the Board of Directors.

Please stop in the office to fill out the necessary paper work to receive your rebate.

Winterizing Tips

Every winter season, homeowners in mountain communities are at risk of the damage and expense caused by frozen pipes. However, just a few precatuions can greatly reduce your risk and may even help with your winter heating efficiency.

Disconnect and Drain-detaching hoses from outdoor faucets allows water to drain from the pipe.

Insulate-if you have pipelines in an unheated garage or cold crawl spaced under the house, wrap the water pipes before temperatures plummet. You can also puchase insulated covers for your outdoor faucets as well.

Turn off Water-turning your water off when you leave you mountain home is the most important thing you can do to prevent a leak or break.

Seal Off Vents, Cracks and Doors-winter winds whistling through overlooked openings can quickly freeze exposed water pipes.

By following these simple steps, you will be protecting yourself from a possible leak or broken pipe due to freezing.

Remember, all water that passes through the meter is the homeowner's responsibility, even if it is due to frozen or broken pipes.

Riverside County Local Hazard Mitigation Plan

The Pine Cove Water District is participating in Riverside County's Local Hazard Mitigation Plan. They are currently in the process of updating it and we have been trying to do our part. We have been nominated as a possible site for an Emergency Operations Center should a diaster befall us. We will be making updates here on the blog and our website so that we can keep the public informed as to our progress and plans. It is our hope that our preparations are never put to the test, but we want to be prepared, just in case.

Pine Cove Water District Welcomes You!

It is our mission to provide ample amounts of potable water at a reasonable price to all constituents within the Pine Cove area.

As a water district in a small community, we here at the Pine Cove Water District feel a special connection with our customers. We want our customers to be informed and in addition to our website and our semi annual newsletters, we have created this blog to keep everyone up to date on the latest happenings here at the Pine Cove Water District.

We hope you will check in often and feel free to leave your comments and suggestions.

Rules for Watering your Landscape

1. Get to know your plants signal for water: All plants and trees have different water requirements. The time to water is when the plants need it. Adjust your watering schedule and automatic timers for cooler, wetter or windy weather.

2. Split your watering time and prevent runoff: If water runs off instead of soaking in, split the water time into two sessions to allow the soil to absorb the water. Amend your soil to improve the water holding capacity of your soil.Watering half the time, twice as often will help water stay in the root zone.

3. Train your plants to develop deep roots: Water thoroughly, but infrequently. Make sure that plants are deep watered in the spring so they will develop deep roots and need less water in the summer. Deeper roots allow plants to use moisture deep in the ground. Plants will be healthier and stronger.

4. Avoid watering on windy days: When you water on windy days (a breeze stronger than 5 to 7 miles per hour), much of the water evaporates or blows away.

5. Avoid watering in the middle of the day: Morning is the best time to water because it helps prevent the growth of fungus. Also by watering in the cool part of the day, more water soaks in instead of evaporating.

6. Turn off your irrigation system when it rains: Don't waste water by watering plants in the rain. Rain sensors are available if you aren't home to to turn them off.

7. Mulch around trees and shrubs: Mulching discourages weeds and slows evaporation when you water your plants.

8. Keep your soil in shape: Soil amendments such as compost can benefit your plants both by providing nutrients and by changing the composition of the soil so it holds water better. Improving your soil needs to be done regularly, including the areas around existing plants and shrubs.

9. Maintain your watering system: Broken sprinkler heads spew water that doesn't benefit your plants. Replace old or worn irrigation fixtures. Hoses, couplings, valves and fauceets that leak not only create large puddles, but waste water and your money.

10. Choose the right plants: Take a plants water and sun needs into consideration before adding it to you landscape. Look for drought tolerant plants with low water needs.