On the first day of the virtual Water Conservation Showcase, recent East Bay Municipal Utility District retiree Dave Langridge and California Department of Water Resources (DWR) Senior Environmental Scientist Julie Saare-Edmonds discussed the landmark Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO). The speakers led an in-depth analysis of the ordinance and presented data on more than 150 MWELO landscape installations.

Created in 1993, MWELO requires new and renovated landscapes to implement sustainable design principles and efficient technology, but the ordinance may not always result in water savings. In 2017, California's Department of Water Resources formed a landscape stakeholder advisory group, consisting of nearly 400 landscape professionals and water agency staff, to carefully evaluate MWELO and offer recommendations for improvements.

Langridge and Saare-Edmonds agree that updates to MWELO can improve and expand upon the ordinance’s effectiveness. Updates must include addressing how to simplify requirements, support local enforcement and integrate stormwater management practices. A major strength of MWELO is its holistic approach to landscape design, which recognizes the benefits of water conservation for energy use, stormwater and climate change mitigation.

Interested in improving MWELO? The stakeholder advisory group is still accepting new members. Email us to join, using the subject line "LSAG."

To learn more about water efficiency, join us on Monday, Aug. 4, for the second day of the Water Conservation Showcase. Expert speakers will present on the importance of linking water conservation to watershed health and the benefits of stormwater bioretention systems, and they will answer plant questions submitted by attendees. Sessions will run from 9 a.m. to 1:20 p.m. PT. If you have a plant question for the expert panel, submit your question ahead of time by emailing Ryan Stroupe with the subject line "Plant Talk." Sign up for free to further explore California's most pressing water issues, as local experts weigh in.

Continue learning about water policies at the Water Conservation Showcase (USGBC Northern California)