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<br />Perhaps because of their agricultural heritage, <br />Californians are avid gardeners and landscape <br />irrigation is the largest single <br />category of water use in the urban <br />environment today. An estimated <br />1 million acres of urban land is <br />devoted to landscape, using an <br />estimated 4 million acre-feet of <br />the state's developed water <br />supply. <br /> <br /> <br />Landscape <br /> <br />Ti\'o basic methods are ill <br />use 10 encourage wafer- <br />e.lficient landscaping: <br />fhe ({se of "/wrdscape," <br />decks, palios, ~\'(//bmys <br />or otherfeatures to co\'cr <br />ground so it doeslI 'r <br />need irrigmiol1, and <br />Inlier allowances, fhe <br />del'clol'menl (~fll'{Jler <br />IJ/ulgeling, meterillg and <br />pricing illcenfives to <br />red/lce wafer I/se. <br /> <br />16 <br /> <br />XERISCAPE <br /> <br /> <br />As in agriculture, most urban <br />landscapes in California are <br />irrigated. Periodic water short- <br />ages in the last two decades have <br />heightened consumer interest in <br />techniques for conserving water <br />used tor landscape irrigation. <br />Water efficient irrigation products, <br />such as drip irrigation systems <br />developed originally for tarms. <br />have been adapted to urban <br />uses, and a number of urban <br />water agencies have experi- <br />mented with metering and pricing <br />techniques to encourage conser- <br />vation. Landscape designers and <br />contractors also have incorpo- <br />rated drought-tolerant plants into <br />their services and products and <br />taken advantage of the latest in <br />irrigation technology. Nurseries <br />now offer a wider range of plants <br />that includes drought-tolerant <br />varieties used in xeriscape -land- <br />scape designs that promote <br />efficient water use. <br /> <br />Rooted in the Greek word "xeros~ for dry, xeriscape <br />uses a variety of techniques to achieve the goal <br />of low-water use landscaping. Functional design <br />that integrates the landscape with buildings and <br />topography is a key part of xeriscape, as is <br />the selection of plants appropriate to the climate <br />and soil type. Many native California plants are <br />naturally drought-tolerant and make excellent <br />xeriscape choices. Xeriscape also makes use of <br />"hard sea pes" - decks, patios, walkways or other <br />features that cover ground so it doesn't need <br />irrigation. <br /> <br />With about half of all residential water use going to <br />outdoor uses such as landscape irrigation, xeriscape <br />is one way homeowners can reduce the amount of <br />water they use in their yards. Xeriscape also has <br />caught on with public works departments and <br />business property owners as a way to cut down on <br />landscape-maintenance costs. <br /> <br />Since the first demonstration gardens were installed <br />in the 1970s. much has been done to expand and <br />promote efficient water use in landscaping. Those <br />elf oris peaked in 1990 with enactment of the Water <br />Conservation in Landscaping Act, a state law that in <br />1992 produced a model Water Elficient Landscape <br />Ordinance. Although the ordinance has helped <br />institutionalize concern for efficient water use in <br />landscaping, continued urban expansion from <br />coastal areas into the hotter, drier interior of <br />California has kept overall landscape water use <br />on the rise. <br />