In 1988, the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority’s started a composting facility for biosolids produced. 505Outside recently visited the Soil Amendment Facility to check out the “Compost Del Rio Grande.”
Water Authority compost is unlike any other in town because it’s not just made with the typical green waste, manure, wood chip, and horse bedding. It also has one special ingredient: biosolids. Biosolids, also known as humanure, are organic matter recycled from sewage operations.
Compost del Rio Grande is responsible for reprocessing the biosolids that are a daily byproduct of the Southside Wastewater Reclamation Plant – about 360,000 pounds a day, or three truckloads three times a day are produced. While we were touring the facility, we got a chance to see three of these truckloads.
Biosolids are rich in organic matter, nitrogen, and trace minerals. The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) encourages safe biosolids re-use. Properly managed, composting qualifies as a Process to further reduce pathogens under US EPA regulations, meaning that composted biosolids may be used in the production of crops for human consumption.
The facility accepts green waste from the community. They also will soon begin receiving food scraps from Intel and horse manure and bedding from New Mexico Expo.
Certified biosolids compost of good quality is typically comprised of 25% animal stable bedding, 40% biosolids, 30% green waste (pulverized yard trimmings), and 5% wood chips. The facility can produce over 4,000 cubic yards of compost per month.
Compost del Rio Grande uses a recipe created specifically for the facility. The recipe consists not only of the materials that go into the product, but the process used to create the compost. This includes the temperature and length of time at which the materials cook and the number of times the compost is turned. After cooking for 8-10 weeks, the compost is ready.
The facility works closely with the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT). NMDOT uses large quantities of the Rio Grande Compost on highway reclamation projects around the state for erosion control, dust control, and vegetation growth.
Water Authority compost (“Compost Del Rio Grande”) is available to the general public for purchase. Click on the link for more information, or to find out how you can obtain compost for your outdoor projects. https://www.abcwua.org/customer-service-compost/
Author: Jill Brown, ASLA Landscape Architect and owner of My Landscape Coach in Interviewed: W. Shane Fitzgerald, SAF Superintendent, Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority.
During this time of year, plants store most of their nutrients in the roots and find shelter in the ground. Also, this is the time of year to winterize your irrigation system.
To avoid damage to your irrigation system we recommend setting it to the OFF position. Since it is important to make sure your landscape stays healthy in the winter during times of drought, find a warm day once a month and deeply water your plants if we don’t get snow or rain. After watering, set your system to the OFF position again, and to avoid costly repairs, we recommend that homeowners take the following steps after watering:
1. Disconnect the water supply to your irrigation system.
2. If you manually water using a hose or if the irrigation system is attached to an outdoor spigot, you should disconnect it and cover your hose bib using a faucet cover.
3. If you have a below-ground irrigation system, locate your shut-off valve (often hidden in a 3” PVC pipe; often with a white or yellow cap, as shown in the photo). Turn it to the right to shut it off. Be careful when turning so you do not break the valve.
4. Drain the water from all pipes, valves, and sprinkler heads. Learn more about protecting your irrigation system here see the article
How much should I water this winter season?
Water trees thoroughly once a month, to support your tree’s winter hardiness. Give individual trees 100-250 gallons.
Water turf only twice a month for about 5-7 minutes.
How can I keep my landscape healthy this winter season?
Mow your lawn to 2-2.5 inches. Grass left too tall over the winter can develop brown patches.
Aerating and dethatching your lawn will give it a chance to breathe before the grass goes completely dormant. This also provides relief from any compaction that has built up during the warmer months.
Rake or blow off the leaves that have fallen on your lawn. Leaves that are left on the lawn could become moldy, which invites disease.
Apply a thin layer of compost. Compost acts as a fertilizer adds moisture retention capacity and improves overall turf health.
Add mulch but keep it away from the trunk base of your trees. Mulch helps maintain the ground at a constant temperature and helps retain moisture.
Author: Carlos Bustos, Water Conservation Manager, Water Resources Division Have a question about the article? AskAnExpert@abcwua.org
While a subsurface drip irrigation system can last from twelve to fifteen years, especially if it is maintained well, some of the system’s components may need to be replaced or repaired through the years.
A controller, for example, is subject to UV degradation if it is installed outside. Controllers need to be properly sealed and monitored for any inside moisture that can corrode the system's components. Older controllers (pre-2000) can be difficult to set and have limited choices for how to water, which can make watering inefficient when using these controllers. Since Water Sense Smart Technology controllers are more efficient, we recommend switching to this technology. We offer rebates to help you make that upgrade.
Drip irrigation tubing is also known to degrade when exposed to UV light. According to landscape professionals in the Albuquerque area, you can expect the tubing to last for about ten years if it is buried. If tubing is placed on the surface of the ground, it generally won’t last a decade due to several factors, including exposure to UV light and an increased risk of freezing and splitting.
Emitters have various lifespans. Button emitters tend to clog less but need replacement when that happens. Flag emitters clog more often from mineralization but can be flushed.
Another reason for emitter and drip line failure is damage from humans, dogs, rabbits, ground squirrels and pack rats.
Regular maintenance is the best way to increase the lifespan of an irrigation system. Click here for our free irrigation checklist to help keep your system in tip-top shape.
Author: Richard Perce, Irrigation Efficiency Specialist with the Water Conservation Department for the Water Authority. Research: USGA.org and Colorado Extension Service Have a question about the article?
Do you want to learn how to harvest rainwater to support a beautiful, regionally adapted, low -water-use landscape in your yard? A new video series launched in June provides instruction on how to design, install, and maintain residential-scale, passive rainwater harvesting features. In passive water harvesting, rainwater is conveyed directly to a landscaped area and infiltrated in the soil.
Landscapes that incorporate rainwater harvesting and native/drought-tolerant plants require little supplemental irrigation. Rainwater harvesting provides the deep watering that large plants like trees and shrubs need in our hot and dry climate. Capturing and infiltrating rainwater also reduces runoff that carries pollutants to the Rio Grande River.
In this series, you will learn how to construct some of the most common passive rainwater harvesting features in residential applications – basins, swales and soil sponges. The training addresses site selection, sizing basins, grading swales, installing soil sponges for enhanced infiltration and selecting plants. It is presented by four local experts on rainwater harvesting and arid-adapted gardens: Jim Brooks, Tess Houle, Judith Phillips, and Hunter Ten Broeck.
The video series was developed through a collaboration between Bernalillo County, Ciudad Soil and Water Conservation District, and the Arid LID Coalition, and included the installation of a Rainwater Harvesting Learning Landscape at the Gutiérrez-Hubbell House History and Cultural Center. Please visit the Rainwater Harvesting Learning Landscape in person to see an example of a rainwater harvesting feature designed for our arid climate.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — By and large, New Mexican homeowners are getting the all-important message of the arid Southwest: Water is precious, and not to be wasted.
But local experts say an important piece of the story is still often lost when it comes to landscaping: Conserving water doesn’t have to mean a yard consisting of one plant surrounded by gravel.
“We’ve got to go away from that,” said Carlos Bustos, water conservation program manager for the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority. “Xeriscapes are luscious, they’re beautiful, they’re abundant, they’re resilient, they’re sustainable. … We hope that 10 years from now we’re not still dealing with the idea of ‘zeroscapes.'”
Solange Serquis, of Santa Fe-based Serquis + Associates Landscape Architecture, agreed.
“I am a big believer that we all deserve aesthetic and beauty,” she said. “When you combine aesthetic and beauty to achieve something else, like passive cooling or low-consumption plants or an invitation to be outdoors, better use of … energy indoors, that’s the main thing.”
Plant selection
According to Jill Brown, a landscape architect and owner of My Landscape Coach, selecting plants tends to be a point in the landscaping process where homeowners get very engaged.
“If I go back and look at the most popular articles, the most popular things, discussions, questions that we’ve received, it’s always about plants,” said Brown, who also provides content for the water utility authority’s landscape website 505 Outside. “So people are really interested in plants and learning about plants and in that aspect of a landscape.”
For several local landscape pros, planting trees tops the list.
“That’s going to provide shade, which is going to reduce your energy bills if you put it … on the south side of the home … or the west side of the home,” Brown said.
Bustos said if a tree is well planned and well-positioned, those energy savings can be significant.
“There’s studies out there that say that if you place a tree strategically where you need to, you can save up to 25% of the energy in a typical household use,” he said, adding that tree shade helps reduce water lost by other plants nearby.
“By creating this microclimate, you can reduce the water need between 6 and 20%,” he said. “It’s always cooler in the shade.”
Serquis says planting trees adds long-term value.
“I always say planting a tree is an act of … citizenship,” she said. “Because you plant that tree today and in maybe 50 years, it’s … a heritage for the neighborhood.”
With trees as well as with smaller plants, Serquis said she’s looking for ways to passively cool living spaces – both indoors and outdoors – and selects varieties that have low water consumption.
When it comes to choosing specific plant varieties, Brown’s got a simple approach.
“Basically native plants that you buy from a local nursery are going to work in your soil,” she said. “That’s like a generalization we like to tell homeowners: Don’t over-stress about your soil. If you buy plants from a local nursery, you’ll be OK.”
Of course, there’s a caveat: Those plants and trees still have to be watered properly.
Irrigation
Brown said data and her own experience suggest that in the universe of homeowners who care about their landscaping, about half use an irrigation system of some kind, and about half are hand-watering.
Those hand-waterers, according to Brown and Bustos, should think about installing an irrigation system.
“Hand-watering is wasteful, because they’re spraying the leaves and … we need to get to the roots,” Brown said.
Those who already have an irrigation system can consider whether it’s efficient or fine-tuned enough.
Those who use spray sprinklers, for example, may consider swapping out sprayers for highly efficient models that are more available to homeowners today than in the past, often on the shelf of local irrigation supply companies, Brown said.
Homeowners can look at whether plants in their yard are being watered to the right depth, whether their irrigation system adjusts with the seasons – less water during the spring and fall than in summer – or with the weather.
Plants’ water needs also vary depending in what type of soil they’re planted – which even in the Albuquerque metro area can range widely, from sand on the West Side to clay in the valley.
Brown concedes the considerations can overwhelm homeowners.
“People really just want you to say, ‘Hey, water your landscape 20 minutes two times a week in the summer, 20 minutes once a week in the spring and fall,” Brown said.
Lawns
Serquis said when she first moved to New Mexico from Argentina, the trend was incentivizing homeowners to get rid of their lawns altogether in favor of gravel. But lawns don’t get quite such a bad rap with conservation-minded landscapers these days.
“I think there is something in between” lawn and gravel, Serquis said. “(It) depends how you look at the grass, or what type of grass – it’s not that bad. And a xeriscape with no plants, just as a reflecting surface, could be even worse” because of the heat generated.
Brown said there are types of grass that require less water – and even if homeowners want the grass “that’s at the park,” there are better ways to water it than with a spray system that throws water high in the air and risks evaporation. Bustos agreed.
“If you have a lawn and you’re enjoying it and it’s functional and you’re taking care of it, then update it,” he said. “You know, update that irrigation system. There’s technology out there that just can make things a lot more efficient.”
Mulch
Brown said mulch is an important part of landscaping in the Southwest.
“One of the biggest things people complain about are weeds in New Mexico, and a lot of that is because wherever there is bare dirt, you’re going to get weeds,” she said. “… The simplest solution and the most inexpensive solution and easy to install is 3 to 4 inches of a shredded wood chip mulch over the entire yard.”
Mulch helps soil hold in moisture and insulate plant roots, and it breaks down over time to enrich the soil. Brown said a mulch layer often means replacing expanses of gravel.
“All gravel does is produce more heat and more weeds,” she said. “Even if you have the weed cloth, the weed cloth just makes it easier to pull the weeds.”
Starting small
Bustos acknowledged the process of adapting a landscape can be daunting. He said he encourages residents to start with the “lowest investment,” which is changing behaviors. People can start following the seasonal irrigation needs of their landscape, rather than giving the same amount of water all year.
Those ready to invest some resources can take small steps like installing smart irrigation controllers, swapping out sprinkler heads and efficient nozzles – steps Bustos said can save up to 30% of water usage in some cases.
“If you really want to invest, you want to transform your yard into a desert-friendly landscape, then we got a xeriscape rebate that folks can tap into,” he said.
Brown said while her clients may be in different phases with their landscapes, they tend to share one thing in common. “Overall, in general, people in Albuquerque want to save water,” she said. “That is a no-brainer now.”
Author: Gabrielle Porter, Albuquerque Journal Business Editor. Reprinted with permission from the Albuquerque Journal. Have a question about the article? AskAnExpert@abcwua.org
June, July and August are the hottest months for Albuquerque. Our current drought intensifies the heat stress of plants even more because there is lower soil moisture content and higher than normal ET from plants (plants losing more water due to EvapoTranspiration). Regional plants have evolved to adapt to this type of stress, but they still need water. Don’t go overboard! Plants growing in soil that is too wet can be negatively affected, leading to the death of roots. Stunted slow growth and yellowing leaves could be a symptom of overwatering.
Follow these tips to assure your plant’s success and conserve water.
Tips for Watering Your Plants Using a Hose and Nozzle:
Make sure your nozzle or watering wand has an on/off switch that does not leak. This allows you to completely turn off the water at the hose end when you are not using it.
Make sure the wand or nozzle is set to “shower” or a setting that imitates rainfall.
To make sure you don’t have too much pressure, grab a five-gallon bucket and adjust your hose pressure with the nozzle or wand attached. Fill it up ¾ of the way in one minute. Set a timer (timers and stopwatches on your phone are great for this) so you know how long that minute is.
Once you know the correct pressure, we recommend writing down how many turns of the handle you did and use that as your reference. Or, using fingernail polish, put a dot on your faucet handle that also lines up with a dot on the faucet stem so you have a visual reminder.
If you are watering just a few plants located near each other, you will want to build a well around the plants. This makes sure the water stays where you want it to be most effective and avoids water waste.
Wetting plant leaves or the trunk base of a tree is not an efficient way to water and may damage the health of some plants. Instead, water around the plant, aiming at the root growing area.
If you are ready to invest in a more efficient irrigation system instead of dragging your hose around the yard, a Water Sense Smart hose timer is the way to go.
A Smart timer system connected to a professional landscape dripline can water your yard at a set time and for a set length of time. Hose timers can accommodate many several hoses and zones (usually from one to four). We offer a rebate on a Water Sense Smart Irrigation Controllers hose timer that adjusts to our weather and your plant’s watering needs. Each valve can be set to water at various times throughout the day. For example, you could set one valve to water your vegetable garden for 10 minutes daily and another valve to water your perennials two times a week for 20 minutes.
Drip Irrigation Tips:
Make sure you always have a pressure regulator on your drip line. Even if you are converting an old turf valve into a drip zone, use an in-line pressure regulator.
Using professional in-line emitted drip tubing around trees and shrubs is often the most efficient way to provide your trees with enough water.
Make sure you have more than one emitter per plant. That way, if an emitter clogs, you have less chance of that plant dying from lack of water.
“Walk the Line” at least once a month, looking and listening for any broken drip. You are listening for the sound of rushing water and looking for little fountains, excessive wet areas or wilted plants.
Make sure you know approximately where your polyline runs so it is easier for you to know where to plant and make repairs.
Make sure drip irrigation gets moved out to the edge of a shrub or tree canopy and increase the number of emitters as your plants get larger. This is especially important on trees and medium and high-water shrubs.
Your Desert Accent plants, and Rainwater-Only plants may not need supplemental drip irrigation after the third year, so plugging the emitters will help you save water.
Author: Richard Perce, Irrigation Efficiency Specialist with the Water Conservation Department for the Water Authority. Have a question about the article? AskAnExpert@abcwua.org
