RECENT RAIN GOOD BUT ALL OF OREGON STILL IN DROUGHT

What a strange day yesterday with rain all day long. That is the first day long rain since March. A rainy day was nice but the .9” we received over the weekend only puts a dent into the rain deficit we had this spring. The forecast is for the weather to dry out and June is likely to end with below normal rain despite our recent rain. Combined with our spring deficit of 6.5” since March and the forecast of a hotter and dryer than normal summer, the drought conditions will remain and likely get worse for most of the state of Oregon.  
How does a drought impact your landscape? Most commercial landscapes are irrigated thus a dry spring is mitigated by our ability to water. However, a dry spring means more irrigation need and higher water bills. So far, our irrigation need is 172% of the 10 year average and 227% of last year. Your spring irrigation water bill is likely over double last year with 227% more water needed and water rates 8-20% greater. Water conservation is a huge part of landscape management and property management and we are working diligently to assist our customers in conserving water and operational dollars.

WATER CONSERVATION PLANS HELP YOU SAVE MONEY


There are significant opportunities for irrigation system upgrades and modifications as well as landscape modifications that will reduce irrigation water need while improving the appearance and long-term health of the landscape.
However, each site and client is different and the appropriate upgrades or modifications can vary. To help assist in the recommendation of the highest value projects to consider, Pacific Landscape Management has established a Water Conservation Department and trained our staff on water conservation services. This department has developed a Water Conservation Evaluation that we are offering to develop plans to evaluate sites to help conserve water consumption and save our customer operational dollars.  

WEATHER BASED IRRIGATION HAS GREAT ROI
Weather Based Irrigation is one of the water conservation strategies that has the greatest return on investment. We have promoted weather based irrigation for years, but the capital cost to convert was cost prohibitive for many of our customers. When Weathermatic developed their subscription based model, eliminating the capital cost for conversion, it has become reconnective we have installed over 750 systems over the past two years.
We were featured in last month’s Lawn and Landscape Management  trade magazine of our weather based irrigation initiative. You can read the article following link: https://editions.mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?m=59757&i=705161&p=36
If you have not considered it previously, please consider it for year 2022 budget as most properties see an immediate return on investment. And remember, water is the fastest growing utility in the Portland Metropolitan area and rates will continue to rise in the future. https://www.pacscape.com/sustainability/water-conservation/