Water

1. Research the extent to which drip systems are used in agriculture and urge the County Board of Supervisors and Agricultural Commissioner to advocate for growers to plant less water intensive crops.

2. Urge local officials to maximize the collection of storm and spring water, and facilitate rainwater roof collection. Push for policies that limit use of potable drinking water for outside non-food producing landscapes and increase the use of water already available within the watershed.

3. Urge County Environmental Health Department and the State to expand potential uses of gray water and support homeowner installation of approved systems.

4. Work with Monterey Business Council and others in developing educational materials to illustrate rainwater and gray water products and installation options. Help to simplify gray water permitting requirements.

5. Develop demonstration site to showcase how water can be collected and reused safely. Pursue potential hosting a watershed display, including rainwater cisterns and gray water systems at the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History and other local community sites.

6. Learn about and map the watershed local area, identify creeks and streams. Meet with watershed experts to learn how urban watersheds can be reclaimed. Prepare watershed plan for the area, including potential areas for tanks and storage ponds. Identify areas appropriate for planting trees adjacent to wet areas; areas where water can be captured from curbs, swales, creeks; and how to encourage water saving devices, gray water systems, and rain and spring water collection.

7. Advocate for the construction of local reservoirs and other smaller projects to capture storm water. Support citywide program to install tanks and perforated piping along parks and golf course. Install curb cuts to drain water into local gardens. Construct small reservoirs or holding tanks to make water available for neighborhood gardens.

8. Help property owners install cisterns to capture rainwater and gray water systems to enable multiple uses of water. Distribute rain barrels and hold workshops to show how to plumb rain barrels.