Conserve water and prevent urban drool

"Urban drool," what an interesting concept. I was visiting near Riverside, Calif., recently and heard urban drool discussed on National Public Radio. Think of all the water that runs down the street when people irrigate incorrectly, wash their cars, hose down their driveways and sidewalks, or have leaks from their properties. That's urban drool.

What I found fascinating about the discussion was that the focus wasn't on the wasting of water. Rather, it was on how the excess water draining to low-lying areas can increase mosquito habitat, and potentially, the occurrence of diseases such as West Nile virus.

Riverside County has a precipitation cycle similar to northern Nevada's. If there's rain or in our case, snow, it occurs primarily in the winter. Like northern Nevada, Riverside can go three months or more without precipitation in the spring, summer and autumn. In the natural scheme of things, river and stream environments and low-lying areas generally dry up during the hot months. However, with the current volume of urban drool being produced in Southern California, areas that used to be dry in the spring and summer are now often wet during this time. According to Tom Scott, professor of natural resources at University of California, Riverside, these areas provide perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes, particularly where there is standing water or marshy spots. High air temperatures raise the water temperature and mosquitoes thrive.

Scott has been measuring flows in stream environments and the rising mosquito populations. He suggests that if urban drool isn't eliminated, many mosquito- and other insect-borne diseases could become serious health risks. He spoke not only about West Nile virus, but also included other diseases, such as dengue fever, that are not currently in the United States.

In northern Nevada, we usually talk about water-use efficiency in reference to conservation of a precious resource. As with any conservation effort, people may ignore it, sometimes from ignorance, sometimes from apathy. Some may not pay attention to the water running off their lawns and sidewalks, into the gutters and down the street. Others may not know how to fix things, or they may not be able to afford to do so. And, some folks just don't care.

But, what if it is no longer merely a question of water conservation, but one of health? What if it's your children who could become sick? Suddenly, urban drool becomes much more significant. Fortunately for us, we don't have the population of Southern California. Because we have fewer people, there are fewer of us contributing to urban runoff. But, do we have a problem with urban drool? Drive around in the morning or evening and check it out. Do we waste as much water, per capita, as some of our drooling California neighbors? Perhaps we waste more, but that is a question for a future article.

For more information on gardening, contact me, 887-2252 or skellyj@unce.unr.edu, or your local University of Nevada Cooperative Extension office. Check out many useful horticulture publications at www.unce.unr.edu. "Ask a Master Gardener" at mastergardeners@unce.unr.edu

n JoAnne Skelly is the Carson City/Storey County Extension Educator for University of Nevada Cooperative Extension.