Gilbert Blog Relocating to Digital Newsroom

As part of a continuing effort to become Gilbert’s number one source for Gilbert news, we are moving all future blog content to our redesigned website. For all things Gilbert, simply visit gilbertaz.gov/news to see all of the latest information, photos, videos and updates in the Digital Newsroom.

In the Digital Newsroom, users can also download HD-quality video and full-resolution photos. News and information about water conservation, town events, and Talk of the Trade videos previously posted on this blog will now be included with enhanced content in the Digital Newsroom.

We appreciate your continued support as we work to provide best in class communications for Gilbert, Arizona.

Gilbert Saves Millions of Gallons of Water During September

During the month of September, with all those rains, you took notice! Our water production data indicates that Gilbert residents and businesses did an amazing job of responding to the rainfall by reducing outdoor water use.

It’s rare in the world of water conservation to see drastic decreases in water use in a short amount of time. We’ve seen a steady decrease in household water use over the years, with the implementation of new indoor technology such as water efficient toilets, showerheads, and clothes washers. However, to see real-time water conservation responses is a rare treat indeed.

After the September 7th and 8th flooding rain event, you responded by reducing your total water consumption by 20 million gallons… a day. You kept those controllers off too, and the savings persisted for about a week.

Then, with all the predictions that Hurricane Odile was going to drop another whopper on us, you anticipated the rain and proactively shut your controllers off. Production dropped from an average of 42 million gallons a day the few days preceding the storm, to an average of 37 million gallons a day—a savings of about 5 million gallons of water a day. Even though that storm didn’t deliver the anticipated rainfall, a lot of you figured you could keep those controllers off given the cloudiness and moisture that remained in your soil from the previous storm.

The final story in this water production data picture is that when it rained again on September 27th, you overwhelmingly responded. Water production dropped even lower, from an average of 43 million gallons a day preceding that rain event to an average of 35 million gallons per day. Another bulk water savings, this time of 8 million gallons of water a day.

In total, all that amounts to a cumulative water savings of 239,052,000 gallons for the month of September, or an 18 percent drop in water demand from last September.

This is a testament to your keen eye on conservation. You care. It matters. We can continue to improve on this trend by doing things such as adjusting our controllers monthly, checking for leaks inside and outside the home, and paying attention to how much water we should be putting out on the landscape.

All of your individual actions add up to collective water savings.

The majority of water use is outdoors. That’s why we focus on it so much here in the monthly blogs. If you are bamboozled by your watering system, give us a call (480-503-6098) or email and we can set up a time to go through your system with you and offer you tips for savings.

If you ever want to see how much rain fell near your house, visit rainlog.org. If 0.5 or more inches of rain fell near you, that’s your cue to turn off the controller. When you can no longer easily stick a long screwdriver 8 inches into the soil, that’s when you will want to turn your controller back on.

Thanks for helping to do your part to save water here in Gilbert!

Talk of the Trade: Socious

In this month’s Talk of the Trade, we’re highlighting Socious, an online community software company that is growing and developing in Gilbert.  For more information on Socious, click here.

4 Classes to Kick-start Your Fall Yard Work

If you’re ready to get back outside and do some landscape renovation, we have four classes that can help you have a beautiful, thriving yard… all while using water efficiently.

• On October 16th, we start things off by exploring the plants that do well in our soil and climate (otherwise known as: beautiful and low maintenance). Why fight with a plant that doesn’t want to be planted here when there are numerous desert-adapted options to choose from?

• Then, on October 23rd we will tackle drip irrigation design and installation from the backflow prevention device (yeah, you should have one) to the very last drip emitter. Alleviate any confusion with the various parts of a drip irrigation system by attending this class. Demonstrations of real-life irrigation parts will be on hand!

• Next, on October 30th you will learn how to set your irrigation controller. You will also learn how to adjust your watering with the seasons and to irrigate according to the needs of your specific landscape. We will have irrigation controllers in the classroom so you can learn hands-on by programming it yourself!

• Finally, to round out the fall residential workshop series, we’ll tackle how to maintain your irrigation system. You will find that with regular maintenance your system lasts longer and saves you money over time. Regular inspections can also help you identify leaks before they run for too long and you see it on your utility bill.

Interested? Register online at gilbertaz.gov/waterworkshops or call (480) 503-6098 and select option 5. You can attend all four classes or pick and choose what you need.

For all of the learning opportunities mentioned above, join us at the Southeast Regional Library, 775 N. Greenfield Road, Gilbert, AZ 85234, from 6:30- 9:00 PM. All four workshops will be in the Assembly Room, which is the furthest east room in the library’s lobby. Email us if you have any questions!

Top 10 Things to Include in Your 72 Hour Emergency Kit

September is National Preparedness Month and we are encouraging residents to take action now to prepare. Do you have a 72 hour emergency kit? If not, it’s time to start packing! Here are the top 10 things to include in your emergency kit:

1. Food – non-perishable including MRE’s, granola or energy bars, and/or dried fruit (3 day supply)
2. Water – 1 gallon per person per day (3 day supply)
3. AM/FM Radio (battery-operated or hand crank)
4. First aid kit
5. Personal hygiene supplies
6. Personal documents including medication lists, proof of address, birth certificates, passports, and insurance policies.
7. Cash
8. Cell phone with charger (bonus to have crank or solar charging capabilities)
9. Medications
10. Multipurpose tool

To learn more, visit FEMA’s website at http://www.ready.gov/build-a-kit.

Gilbert, Arizona Remembers 9-11

Gilbert, Arizona remembers the fallen in this year’s 9-11 Memorial Ceremony. Gilbert Fire & Rescue Chief Jim Jobusch and Mayor John Lewis spoke at this event.

Manufacturing in Gilbert, AZ

In this Talk of the Trade, Brett Manning, VP of Operations for Silent-Aire discusses the advantages of manufacturing in Gilbert including the commitment to grow businesses and plethora of skilled trades and technical professionals.

Meet Gilbert’s Native American Management Intern

Brooke Wheeler:
I am working on my Masters of Public Administration degree (nonprofit concentration) and a Museum Studies Certificate at ASU. I received a BA in Anthropology with a minor in American Indian Studies at ASU. My interests primarily lay within museum and nonprofit administration, and in federal, state, and local public policy. I have always been committed to working with American Indian communities through either the public or nonprofit sector. When I graduate next fall, I hope to work for National Museum of the American Indian, building collaborative relationships between the Smithsonian and tribal governments and communities, thereby encouraging my people to explore various means of expression through cultural building activities and community collaborative exhibits and events. I believe the aforementioned factors directly contribute to sustainable growth; increase livelihood and cultural pride; and empower people to strengthen their inner capacity, which fosters social and economic progress. As an intern for the town of gilbert, I am looking forward to building the necessary leadership, interpersonal, and public communication skills necessary to work with tribal governments, as well as understanding the dynamics of government relationships between local municipalities, state, federal, and tribal governments.

Prior to working for the Town of Gilbert, I finished a summer internship at the National Museum of the American Indian within the development office as the Native American Initiatives Intern. I have also worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington DC, National Archives and Records Administration in DC and Seattle, Pueblo Grande Museum, and the Salt River Elementary School. Before returning to ASU to pursue my undergraduate degree, I worked in film and theater as a costume designer.

Follow my experiences on my blog Here.

September is National Preparedness Month

FEMA’s 2014 Ready campaign has kicked off and this year’s theme is “Be Disaster Aware, Take Action to Prepare.”  I bet you’re thinking, “Arizona doesn’t have disasters- why bother?” As an Emergency Manager working in Arizona I hear this sentiment a lot, but let me share with you why being prepared, even in Arizona, is important.

On August 2, 2014, with little or no warning, Toledo, Ohio encountered a water crisis in which algae bloomed from Lake Erie causing nearly 400,000 people to be unable to use their water to drink, cook with or bathe for 3 days. This incident caused many great difficulties, as you can imagine. Business losses alone were estimated to be approximately $1.5 million. Toledo’s most prevalent local hazards are snow and flooding, and we have our own local hazards including extreme heat and flooding. This one took most of Toledo by surprise. That is the important point to remember. It was not scheduled or planned; it came as a surprise, like most emergencies.

You really don’t know when or where an emergency might strike. Speak to any Toledoan, and they will tell you the same. I am sure that most people could have never imagined their recent local crisis.

Simple preparedness activities like having food and water storage, a family communication plan and teaching your older children how to turn off the utilities to your home, are very simple but useful activities that you can do this month. Ensure you and your family are prepared for local emergencies.

If you want to learn more, visit FEMA’s website at www.ready.gov or follow @GilbertYourTown on Twitter where we will be providing useful tips all month long. Take action now to prepare!

Sheri Gibbons
Emergency Management Coordinator
Gilbert Fire and Rescue Department
Sheri.Gibbons@gilbertaz.gov

5 Ways to Water Right this Winter

When the weather gets colder, Bermuda grass lawns go dormant and stop actively growing. If you are looking to save money and water this winter, try not overseeding with winter rye grass this year. Bonus: Sewer fees are calculated in the months of January, February and March, so if you use less water during those months than you had in the past, you’ll likely see a lower sewer fee for the upcoming year.

Some residents choose to overseed in order to have an actively growing lawn in the winter months. Late September and early October is when lawns are prepared for overseeding. The best time to overseed is when temperatures are around 55^o at night and 82-84^o during the day.

If you do choose to have a winter lawn, follow these steps to ensure you water right this fall and winter.

1. Germinate the seed. Rye grass is applied as a seed into the scalped Bermuda grass lawn. To successfully germinate, the top 1 inch of soil needs to be kept moist. So, you need to water frequently (4 times a day throughout the day), for short bursts (about 2-4 minutes, depending on the water application rate of your sprinklers*) until the seed is germinated, which typically takes 5-7 days.

*Water is applied at different rates for spray heads (also called pop ups), rotors, and stream rotors. Know what you have on your system so you can set the proper run time. Spray heads can apply water as much as 2 times faster than the other sprinkler types.

2. Don’t set and forget.Overseeded winter lawns can use more water than summer lawns. This often happens because people set the original germination watering schedule and forget to change it. Once the seed is germinated, gradually increase the run time (minutes) and decrease the frequency (days) of irrigation events. Once established, winter rye grass can be watered:
   • Once every 3 days in October
   • Once every 10 days in November
   • Once every 14 days in December and January
   • Once every 10 days in February
   • Once every 7 days in March

**Make sure you water deeply every time you irrigate—this allows you to go longer in between irrigation events.

3. Cycle and soak. Prevent water from running off onto the sidewalk by utilizing the multiple “start times” on your controller. On the day you irrigate, break up the total minutes you need on irrigation day into 3 different irrigation sessions, running about an hour apart.
4. Stagger your starts. To help reduce energy demand associated with firing up the water treatment plant pumps when everyone’s sprinklers come on, even numbered houses should water on the top of the hour and odd numbered houses should water on the half hour. For instance, if your house address ends in an odd number, and you need to water for 15 minutes total, you could water for 5 minutes at 2:30 AM, 5 minutes at 3:30 AM, and 5 minutes at 4:30 AM.
5. Mow at the right height.   We suggest you mow your winter grass at a height of 1.5 to 2 inches. Many times, people think that if they mow lower, they’ll be able to mow less often. The opposite is actually true. A good rule of thumb is to never remove more than 1/3 of the grass’s height when mowing. This maintains a healthy photosynthesizing (food-producing) leaf canopy.

Need further assistance? Contact the Gilbert Water Conservation office. We offer free residential and commercial water audits to assist in saving water outdoors.