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| “We’re
really entranced with this idea of being better stewards for our water
supply. And now, we’re really very seriously exploring the use of reclaimed water in some of the public spaces in our future communities. That would never have happened without the relationship with Metropolitan.” RANDALL LEWIS, EXECUTIVE VICE-PRESIDENT OF LEWIS OPERATING CO. |
It was a nontraditional alliance—developers
and water conservation—but to Metropolitan, it was the perfect way
to introduce the public to the possibilities of saving water, both inside
and outside their new homes.
Part of the challenge was convincing developers that conservation didn’t
mean cactus and gravel in the front yard, a look few homebuyers were willing
to embrace. But several changes in the past few years make those types
of landscapes a distant memory. Foremost among those is wider availability
of California native and other water conserving plants that can create
lush, colorful traditional looking gardens that use a fraction of the
water.
“We didn’t know much about the water-wise concept,”
admits Randall Lewis, executive vice-president of Lewis Operating Co.,
a developer of master-planned communities. “But as we got into it,
we realized it makes sense. Then, as we dug in even more, we saw that
the homes look just as good and the community looks as just as good, and
it saves water.”
Southern California, with its limited water supply and increasing demands
from an ever-growing population, needs to stretch what it has as far as
possible, and conservation is a painless way to do that.To encourage that,
Metropolitan and its member agencies teamed up with the U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation in 2004-05 to offer homebuilders incentives to incorporate
the latest in
water conservation technology in their homes. The district offers homebuilders
up to $2,500 per model home to cover the incremental cost of upgrading
to dual-flush toilets, high efficiency clothes washers, smart and sustainable
landscaping using beautiful and less than-thirstyI plants, and irrigation
systems including smart timers and precision sprinkler heads.
“We learned how important water conservation is and that there are
state-of-the-art ways to do conservation that are good for the environment
and have strong customer acceptance,” Lewis said.
Lewis Operating Co. is the master developer for The Preserve, a community
in Chino, whose five builders each offer a California Friendly Home option
to homebuyers. Besides the appliance and landscaping options, residents
learn specifically how the California Friendly options can cut their domestic
water use by more than 30 percent, saving 9,000 gallons a year with a
front-loading clothes washer and thousands more with dual-flush or one-gallon
toilets. Outdoors, they can save about 32 gallons per square foot a year
with a landscape that includes native California and other drought-tolerant
plants. With a smart irrigation controller, consumers can save even more.
The program is a natural fit for the
region, which is semi-arid.
Lewis expects that as the concept takes root it will command an even greater
share of homebuyers’ imaginations, as well as their pocketbooks.
The company is currently considering how to incorporate some of the ideas
in the Preserve’s model homes into its apartment building and shopping
center projects.
“We’re really entranced with this idea of being better stewards
for our water supply,” Lewis said. “And now, we’re very
seriously exploring the use of reclaimed water in some of the public spaces
in our future communities.
“That would never have happened without the relationship with Metropolitan,”
he said.