The Poole-Hickey family, winners of the 2020 WaterWise Garden Recognition Contest, pose in front of their garden.
The Santa Barbara County Water Agency and participating local water providers have announced the opening of applications for the 2021 WaterWise Garden Recognition Contest.
The annual contest recognizes residents of the county with attractive, water-efficient landscapes.
Residents can apply online for the contest to compete for an agency award and the countywide grand prize. Winners will have their gardens featured online and will receive an engraved stone boulder.
“This has been an extremely dry winter, with rainfall currently 40% of our annual average,” said Matt Young, water agency manager. “Installing and maintaining water-efficient gardens is a great way to conserve this precious resource.”
Residents of single-family homes are eligible to apply if they reside in areas served by the city of Santa Barbara, Vandenberg Village Community Services District, and the Carpinteria Valley and Montecito water districts.
Contest rules and applications are available at waterwisesb.org/gardencontest.
All applications are due by April 30.
In an average home in Santa Barbara County, 50% to 70% of water use goes toward landscape irrigation, according to a news release from the water agency. The agency noted that waterwise gardens can greatly reduce landscape water use, save money and are beautiful and easy to maintain.
The agency also said there are dozens of easy ways to make a garden more water-efficient, such as choosing waterwise plants, installing a smart irrigation controller or using the online Weekly Watering Percent to adjust your existing sprinkler timer based on the weather.
Visit waterwisesb.org to learn about more ways to save water in your landscape and to apply for the 2021 WaterWise Garden Recognition Contest.
email: gmccormick@newspress.com
