HomeResourcesVideo Archive2019-03-09 Native Plants and Rainwater Harvesting

2019-03-09 Native Plants and Rainwater Harvesting

Learn How to Save Money, Conserve Water and Beautify Your Yard

Nearly 30% of Prescott’s annual groundwater pumping is used for residential landscapes, a significant draw on declining aquifers that can be greatly reduced by using drought-tolerant plants and rainwater harvesting.

Jeff Schalau,  Agent, Agriculture and Natural Resources and County Extension Director for the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension in Yavapai County, presented examples of native tree and shrub species that require little or no irrigation once established and explained how to plant, irrigate and tend to new plants to best ensure their successful growth. He also talked about how native landscapes can serve as suitable habitats for native wildlife beneficial to the ecosystem. 

Josh Crothers, owner of Prescott Landscape Professionals, provided homeowners with information about landscape design that uses rainwater for irrigation and discussed onsite storage methods for captured water. Mr. Crothers also talked about the practices and construction methods for rainwater harvesting and answered questions about how homeowners can install rainwater harvesting systems themselves or hire a professional.  Get information on the City of Prescott’s water rebate program for rainwater harvesting at www.prescott-az.gov/water-sewer/water-conservation/rebate-program. For the Prescott area, landscaping can account for half of summer water usage, much of which is lost to evaporation and not available for recharge or reuse.

DAILY DROPLET

  • "Ranchers need clean water for their stock, farmers need it for their crops, every employer needs it to stay in business, and every living thing needs it for life... The law needs to be clear to protect water quality and the rights of landowners."
    Mark Udall

  • "Water is the driver of Nature."
    Leonardo da Vinci

  • "When the well is dry, we know the worth of water."
    Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard’s Almanac, 1746

  • "...and since flow of information is to spirit what water is to life, we'd best think about how to keep the pipes free and unclogged."
    Raphie Frank

  • "In an age when man has forgotten his origins and is blind even to his most essential needs for survival, water along with other resources has become the victim of his indifference."
    Rachel Carson

  • "We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one."
    Jacques Yves Cousteau

  • "Water is life's matter and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water."
    Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, 1937 Nobel Prize for Medicine

  • "Water is everywhere and in all living things; we cannot be separated from water. No water, no life. Period..."
    Robert Fulghum

  • "It's the water. Everything is driven by the water."
    Mike Thompson

  • "Whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting over."
    Mark Twain