Landscape Project Delivers Significant Water Savings

David J. Cordero, MWDOC Director of Government Affairs

July, 2010

A hugely successful master landscape project at the Oso Valley Greenbelt Association (Association) in Mission Viejo has saved more than 108 million gallons of water and reduced costs by more than $251,000 in just two years. Factoring in more than $98,000 in rebates secured for the project through the Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) and Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan), the work done will pay for itself in just three years.

Public officials are beginning to take notice of the project as a model for sustainable and affordable landscape practices. In fact, the city of Mission Viejo awarded a Certificate of Commendation to the Association, which hired Orange-based Harvest Landscape Enterprises to implement a five-year strategic plan designed to save water and reduce maintenance costs for the property. The Oso Valley project was coordinated by Harvest Landscape Enterprises, Inc., Monarch Environmental Inc., and Professional Community Management (PCM).

The 150-acre landscape had become wildly overgrown in 25 years. Much of the irrigation system was in disrepair; lines leaked and broken sprinkler heads had been capped off. Overgrowth blocked many of the lines that did work, which meant the irrigation system had to run longer – sometimes for as much as an hour – to make up for the lack of irrigation elsewhere.

At Oso Valley, Harvest Landscape worked with Monarch Environmental and PCM to upgrade the 25-year-old irrigation system with WeatherTRAK Smart Water Management technology, reduce passive turf areas, remove dead or dying plants, rejuvenate high-impact areas and replant designated areas within the community.

“This wasn’t your typical maintenance contract,” said Harvest Landscape President Steven Schinhofen. “This was a systematic, long-term project to fine-tune the efficiency and effectiveness of the landscape plan.”

The Certificate of Commendation recognizes Oso Valley Greenbelt Association for its “significant water conservation efforts” and for “developing an efficient long-term maintenance plan for enhancing the beauty of the 150 acres of landscape throughout the community.”

Joe Berg, MWDOC’s Water Use Efficiency Program Manager, believes the Oso Valley project has set the bar for master landscape projects and that other contractors should try to emulate the approach taken by the participants. “Harvest, Monarch, PCM, and the Oso Valley Greenbelt Association deserve a lot of credit for taking a systematic approach to the modernization of Oso Valley’s irrigation system and landscape maintenance,” said Berg. “Through their efforts on this one project, enough water has been saved to meet the needs of more than 400 Orange County families per year. Meaningful water savings have been achieved, and this is certainly a project that other associations and contractors can look to as they evaluate options for modernizing their own irrigation systems.”

For more information about the Oso Valley Greenbelt Association’s project, please contact Joe Berg at 714.593.5008.