Going with the flow

By Zenaida Serrano Espanol
Advertiser Staff Writer

Conservation tips How to conserve water with indoor and outdoor plants: Choose "unthirsty" plants which need less water to grow. Local university extension service county agents or neighborhood garden shops can tell you which plants are drought-resistant. Water lawn during the early morning or evening hours to minimize evaporation loss. Water on calm days to avoid loss of sprinkler water by strong winds. In air-conditioned rooms, water at two- to three-day intervals. In warmer, damper environments, water once or twice a week. Avoid overwatering; minimize runoff. Use mulch or grass clippings around plants to retain moisture. Deep penetration through soaking is more effective for most of your lawn. Poke your finger into the soil about 1/2 an inch down. If the soil feels relatively dry, it's time to water. Place pots in pans a little larger than their bottoms, and fill pans halfway so plants can draw water through capillary action. For more water conservation tips, see www.hbws.org. Source: Honolulu Board of Water Supply

"A lot of that rain, when the yard gets saturated because it's coming down too fast, it just goes off into the ocean," the 68-year-old homemaker said while relaxing in a chair outside her 'Aiea home on a recent morning. "It's too bad."

Meanwhile, Sal Salangsang, 58, recalled sitting in his Kapolei garage during one of the storms and watching a stream of precious rainwater go to waste.

"I (could) see the water just go down to the drainage, more into the drainage than the lawn," the retired glazier said as he tended his yard early one sunny morning.

Kim and Salangsang have noticed what water officials have known for years: Inches of rain dumped on ground that's saturated don't all percolate down into aquifers, the huge pools of underground water.

"Most of that water runs off (into) streams and ditches because the ground is so thoroughly saturated," said Wanda Yamane, spokeswoman for the Honolulu Board of Water Supply.

Light, steady rain is ideal, Yamane said. "It's constant and fairly consistent, and that helps to actually recharge our groundwater system," she said.

Good rain or bad, Island residents continue to go with the flow, making efforts to conserve water whenever they can.

"For years and years and years, I never did run water down the sink while I'm brushing my teeth," Kim said. "I was always taught to be conservative."

She also turns the water off while soaping up in the shower and has replaced one of her toilets with a low-flush model.

Yard maintenance is no exception, Kim said after weeding and raking leaves on her manicured lawn. Rather than running her sprinklers for 20 minutes three times a week like she used to, Kim now has her sprinklers set for 15 minutes twice a week.

Ronald Yano, a 72-year-old retired mechanic, said he has friends who take full advantage of the rain.

"They put buckets where the water (falls), then they use the water for water the plants," a shirtless and tanned Yano said while trimming the hedges in front of his Kalihi home.

On the drier leeward side, Waikele homemaker Barbara Shanks said a series of heavy rainfalls have drenched her yard enough that she hasn't had to water her lawn for nearly a month.

"We always make a practice of not wasting water, like making sure that there are no toilets dripping," said Shanks, 41, who was on her hands and knees replacing a sprinkler head in her front yard.

"I do little things. I don't think it matters much, but like when I wash my hands, I wet my hands and I turn the water off when I soap them up," Shanks said.

Any conscious effort to save water matters and is appreciated, Yamane said.

"Those people are really helping a lot," she said. "Their contributions are extraordinary."

Clifford Jamile, manager and chief engineer of the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, announced last month that O'ahu's aquifers were six inches lower than they were a year earlier.

But a decrease in water use in the community, combined with the rains, means "water levels are recovering," Yamane said.

"The easiest thing for people to remember is that conservation is actually just remembering to turn off the water when you're not using it," she said.

Reach Zenaida Serrano Espanol at zespanol@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8174.