Phone: (310) 374-1199

Email : mike@enviroscapela.com

Redondo Beach, Ca 90278
Los Angeles South Bay, California

La Ballona Students Growing Great This Spring

In a flurry of activity before Spring Break, all six grades at La Ballona Elementary School completed their garden lessons and planted in the school’s newly built garden. Each grade followed a curriculum created by the nonprofit Growing Great. Kindergarten and first-grade students planted sunflowers and pumpkins, second-grade students planted flowers to attract pollinators, while the upper grades planted colonial, mission, and Native American crops. All of the children appeared happy to get their hands in the earth and the garden instructors were peppered with questions about the soil, plants, and insects that make up a healthy garden. “We are so grateful to the many members of our community who donated their funds and services to make our garden a reality!” said Solange Bumbaugh. The Culver City Education Foundation along with La Ballona’s booster club donated the funds and bought organic seeds. The garden and its eco-friendly irrigation system were installed by Mike Garcia of Enviroscape. Finally, UCLA donated the tools, shed, and composter. “Our goal is to use the garden to teach the children about caring for the earth by reusing our resources and caring for our bodies by growing healthy food,” Bumbaugh said. “We will collect rainwater and recycle garden and lawn waste in our composter. We look forward to our first harvest in June and to holding our first farmer’s market to be staffed by the school’s newly formed Garden Club.”

Phone: (310) 374-1199

Email : mike@enviroscapela.com

Redondo Beach, Ca 90278
Los Angeles South Bay, California

Dina Cramer wanted to turn their  barely used backyard pool into a green garden with fountain, waterfall and a creek.

She and her husband, Irl, both retirees, mentioned it to Mike Garcia of Enviroscape L.A. when he came by to trim their trees. Mike Garcia recommended the Manhattan Beach couple, who have grown children, turn the pool into a rainwater-harvesting garden. They already had the hole in the ground, he noted, which is usually the greatest expense for a rainwater garden.  The EnviroscapeLA Crew made their dream come true , the barely used swimmingpool is convertd into a  is stunningly beautifulwater garden paradise with fountains, a stream waterfalls and native plants.

The Manhattan Beach, California project features more than 1,000 square feet of Pacific Sod (Medallion) yard, adding more than 2,000 pounds of Kelloggs Gromulch soil

Enviroscape LA installed a lawn with subsurface drip irrigation to maximize water savings in a Manhattan Beach, California residence. Taking eight workers three days to complete, the project illustrates a relatively quick and affordable way to improve irrigation efficiency in an era of continuing watering restrictions.

Under a tight deadline, the contractor set to work removing the old turf grass and irrigation system and replacing it with a subterranean irrigation system and a new lawn of Pacific Sod Tall Fescue.

 Workers stripped off the old turf layer by hand, and then rototilled the earth beneath using a Honda 77RTB Rototiller. After mixing in new soil, they dug a series of trenches, spaced at 12 inches apart and dug at a set three inches deep. Workers used a Honda Trencher #RTV7721 to trench the canals.

The Subterranean Irrigation System

Enviroscape LA chose the Rain Bird XFS Dripline sub-surface drip irrigation system for this project. Workers laid more than 1,500 feet of the subsurface drip irrigation tubing, and attached 200 fittings.

The Rain Bird system is the latest in the company’s Xerigation Family. According to the company, the Copper Shield Technology protects the emitter from root intrusion, creating a long-lasting, low maintenance sub-surface drip irrigation system for use under turf grass or shrub and groundcover areas.

It is designed for small, narrow and tight planting areas, as well as areas with tight curves or many switchbacks. The system accepts a number of 17mm barbed insert fittings, including the company’s Easy Fit Compression Fittings, and its XF Dripline Barbed Insert Fittings.

Rain Bird’s Copper Shield Technology protects the emitter from root intrusion without requiring EPA-approved handling procedures. The low-profile emitter design reduces in-line pressure loss, allowing longer lateral runs, simplifying design and reducing installation time.

A variety of emitter flow rates, emitter spacing and coil lengths provide design flexibility for either sub-surface turf grass or sub-surface shrub and groundcover applications. The pressure-compensating emitter design provides a consistent flow over the entire lateral length, ensuring higher uniformity for increased reliability in the pressure range of 8.5 to 60 PSI.

The dual-layered tubing (copper over black) provides resistance to chemicals, algae growth and UV damage. Also, the emitter design resists clogging by use of an extra-wide flow path combined with a self-flushing action.

Last Steps

Once the irrigation system was installed and tested to make sure there were no leaks and that all the fittings were working, workers laid down more than 1,000 square feet of sod. They wired in and installed FX luminaire lighting, flowering succulents, blue fescue, dragon tree, echeveria ”Afterglow,” and Blue fescue.

The homeowner received their first water bill since their old system was torn out. According to the contractor, ”Their bill has been cut in half, due to direct watering to the grass root system. With drip irrigation, there is no waste, not runoff, no misting. The future of landscape irrigation is summed up in one word….DRIP!”

This backyard used to have a swimming pool, but the yard was transformed into a rain-harvest collection system complete with a pondless waterfall. Harvested water keeps the landscape green year round, and drought-tolerant plants and porous materials add to the sustainable elements of the project. Paving stones were placed on top of an installation of Flexi-Pave, a porous product that allows for the capture of more rainwater. The rainwater storage tanks sit about five feet below this section of the backyard. Photo: Gregory Harris, LCDBM

Rainwater collection does not have the cache of ”cloud computing” and ”4G” cell phones and hand-held devices, but the capturing and reuse of rainwater for landscape irrigation and water features is a growing business.

Traditionally, rainwater harvesting was used as conservation tool. Areas with limited supplies of groundwater would urge its residents and small businesses to harvest rainwater as method to lessen the use of groundwater. This did not become a widespread phenomenon because the cost of water is usually low and the few incentives in place urging rainwater harvesting did not justify installing the equipment necessary to harvest rainwater.

City, state and the federal government are increasingly touting the benefits of capturing rainwater as a stormwater best management practice tool. For example, Los Angeles, Calif. is promoting low impact development (LID).

Atlantic Water Gardens’ Clean Rain Ultra Downspout Diverter features a rain head that deflects leaves and debris and a first flush water diverter that prevents contaminants in the initial surge of water from being collected. Rainwater from the gutter flows into this system, with the white PVC pipe serving as the ”first flush.” The rainwater flows into the storage containers via the black pipe. Photo: Gregory Harris, LCDBM

Rainwater for Irrigation

Using rainwater for landscape irrigation would seem to be the ideal use of a natural resource and many landscape contractors are embracing rainwater harvesting as a tool to achieve more sustainable projects.
Mike Garcia, owner of Southern California-based Enviroscape, believes in the big-picture view of rainwater capture.

”Los Angeles gets 14 to 15 inches of rain each year,” he said. ”Most of that water gets caught in the streets. That water picks up chemicals from the streets, it goes down the storm drains and eventually gets pulled into the oceans. In order to help save the oceans, we should be reusing rainwater.”

Capturing and reusing rainwater is a key component of Garcia’s business. In addition to using rainwater for irrigation, Enviroscape installations use rainwater for pondless waterfalls and water features projects.

Drought tolerant plants including Senecio, Aeonium, Kalenchoes bring color to the landscape. Rain Bird’s subsurface drip irrigation system (as seen by the copper-colored line) is used to deliver the captured rainwater to the plants. Photo: Gregory Harris, LCDBM

Replacing the Pool

Garcia converted his own backyard swimming pool into a rainwater collection system that includes a pondless waterfall.

”I can keep the landscape green all year using two months of tap water instead of 12 months thanks to the rainwater that has been captured,” he said.

Garcia’s backyard includes underground storage for 4,000 gallons of rainwater, the waterfall and a permeable surface of the storage unit. The rainwater is collected from the roof, flowing from gutters down through to a downspout diverter that filters the rainwater. The filtered rainwater then flows down into the storage tanks.

Garcia’s installation uses a downspout diverter from Atlantic Water Gardens. The company’s Clean Rain Ultra Downspout Diverter features a rain head that deflects leaves and debris and a first flush water diverter that prevents contaminants in the initial surge of water from being collected.

After excavating an area for the rainwater storage, a 6-inch minimum sand base is installed. This is followed by the placement of rain tanks. After the tanks are positioned, landscape fabric is used to cover the tanks. A 12-inch sand layer is placed on top of the tanks, followed by a layer of 45 mm pond liner and a final course of sand base. Photo: Enviroscape

Storage System

Garcia uses EcoRain modular rain tanks for the water storage, preferring the use of subsurface storage rather than storage barrels or tanks that sit on the surface.

The installation of the rain tanks is relatively straightforward but labor intensive. After excavating an area for the storage or using space occupied by a swimming pool that is being replaced with rainwater capture equipment, a 6-inch minimum sand base is installed. This is followed by the placement of the rain tanks. After the tanks are positioned, landscape fabric is used to cover the tanks. A 12-inch sand layer is placed on top of the tanks, followed by a layer of 45 mm pond liner and a final course of sand base.

For his project, Garcia installed Flexi-Pave on top of the area that houses the rainwater storage area. This product allows for the capture of more rainwater.

”The Flexi-Pave is made from recycled tires, which adds to the overall sustainability of this project,” he said. ”The recycled tires are ground up to a pea-gravel size. It is hand-mixed, laid down and smoothed out similar to how concrete is installed.”

Collected rainwater is stored underground where it is ready to use for irrigation and the pondless waterfall at this residence. Looking down into the vault that sits next to the rainwater storage tanks, the downspout that delivers water to be stored and pipes that transport the water to the irrigation and waterfall systems are visible. This opening is typically covered, preventing debris from entering this chamber. Photo: Gregory Harris, LCDBM

A computerized control system by Leader Pumps was installed to allow for the automatic operation of the pump, preventing it from dry running. The Pro Eco pump used on this job is a submersible model that was placed inside the cylindrical vault. Photo: Gregory Harris, LCDBM

Benefits of Drip Irrigation

The abundance of plant materials on this project are being supplied water via a drip irrigation system, which Garcia says is key in water conservation.

”A subsurface or underground sprinkler system makes great sense,” he said. ”Choosing subsurface irrigation over conventional sprinklers will prevent overspray, the main cause of wasted water and money.”

Garcia’s drip irrigation system of choice is Rain Bird’s subsurface drip line with Copper Shield Technology.

”This system protects the emitter from root intrusion, resulting in fewer irrigation problems after installation,” he said.

Garcia noted the benefit of the subsurface irrigation is to distribute water only where it is needed, at the roots of a plant.

”Drip irrigation is the world’s most efficient type of irrigation, and subsurface drip is especially so because it is unaffected by wind and evaporation,” he said. ”This results in 70 percent less water use than conventional overhead sprinklers.”

Homeowners may not choose to install as many landscape features as Garcia has for his home after getting a rainwater capture system, but Garcia believes there is no harm in adding amenities.

Mike Garcia
Owner of Enviroscape Landscaping in Los Angeles, California

phone : (310) 374-1199
Email : mike@enviroscapela.com

Landscape Seminar Course
“Rainwater Harvesting”

$35.00

Mike Garcia, owner of Enviroscape L.A., stands on top of his rain harvesting system. (Andrew Khouri)

Standing in his lush yard in Redondo Beach, Mike Garcia showed off his green gadgets like a proud father. There was the permeable pavement, the drip irrigation system and hidden beneath a layer of recycled rubber tires, a series of tanks that capture and store up to 4,000 gallons of rainwater.

Garcia installs such water savers. And, because water is scarce, his customer base has blossomed.

“The phone has been ringing off the hook,” said Garcia, owner of Enviroscape L.A., a green landscaping firm that installs rainwater harvesting systems and other products.

New regulations and fears over the price and availability of water have spiked demand for Enviroscape’s services. To keep up, Garcia may add 40 more employees, four times his current workforce.

“[Rainwater harvesting] is going to be a billion dollar industry that is about to be born,” he claimed, explaining the sector comprises only 10 percent of his business, but within a year, he expects that number to climb to 50 percent.

In nearby Los Angeles, an upcoming ordinance could help Garcia reach that goal.

Most new developments–as well as certain redevelopments–soon must capture, infiltrate or reuse all runoff generated on site from a ¾-inch rainstorm. To do so, several techniques can be employed, including the rain harvesting tanks and permeable pavement Garcia installs. City officials expect the Los Angeles City Council to give its final approval this summer.

“The main goal is to start changing the way we are designing our streets, sidewalks and land around our buildings, and manage water as the asset that it is,” said Los Angeles Public Works Commissioner Paula Daniels.

The law aims to promote rainwater harvesting and–through options such as permeable pavement or rain gardens–redirect runoff into the region’s aquifers. There, stormwater can replenish local groundwater instead of flowing unused into the Pacific.

Rainwater harvesting, which uses captured rainwater mainly for irrigation, has exploded worldwide as water worries have increased.

By 2015, the worldwide market is projected to reach $3.76 billion, more than three times the 2009 level, according to a 2010 report from SBI Energy, a market research firm.

Increased demand for water, easy installation and public conservation campaigns have kickstarted the industry, the report found. Government mandates and incentives have also boosted demand.

In Southern California, which imports more than half its water from outside the region, local supply must increase, officials say. The imported water that transformed a dusty outpost into a thriving metropolis doesn’t flow as it once did.

“Most of our water comes from either the Colorado River or (Northern California), and those two reliable sources aren’t really reliable,” said Metropolitan Water District of Southern California board member Edward C. Little.

Environmental restrictions have curtailed the amount of water pumped from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, which makes up about 30 percent of regional supply. And the Colorado River, another main source, remains marred in a 12-year drought. Climate change threatens to further reduce available water.

There are currently six proposed seawater desalination projects along the Southern California coast, according to Metropolitan’s 2010 Regional Urban Water Management Plan. Those furthest along–Carlsbad and Huntington Beach–are expected to eventually pump out a combined 100 million gallons a day.

“Nobody has water rights on the ocean. There is more water out there than anyone could possibly use,” said Little, who is also a director at West Basin Municipal Water District, which has pledged to halve its imported supply to 33 percent by 2020.

Desalinated seawater is roughly twice as expensive as imported water, however, the price has dropped over the decades. To further decrease the cost, Metropolitan offers a maximum subsidy of $250 per acre-foot (about 326,000 gallons) for desalinated seawater. According to the latest price estimates for a proposed Dana Point plant, the subsidy would only trim, at most, 17 percent from the price of water sold.

“While it may not be the most cost effective supply today, I think that it’s something that in the future will become very viable,” said assistant general manager Debra C. Man of Metropolitan.

But Southern California needs a multiplicity of sources, Man stressed, so it isn’t dependent on one watershed or region. Metropolitan is pushing to increase conservation, recycling and groundwater replenishment, she said, while also striving to solve the problems in the Delta.

The region’s inherent water problems pushed Scott Mathers to launch Hey! Tanks L.A. three years ago. The firm sells and installs rain barrels and tanks.

“This problem is not going away. It’s like selling mattresses,” Mathers said, perched above an 8,000 gallon tank his company is helping install at a Bel Air mansion.

The volume of business is too much for him and his partner, Jeff Fuller to handle, he said. Despite the economic downturn and pulling online ads, business has remained steady since 2008.

“I still can’t keep up,” Mathers said, adding that he’d like to hire more workers but cannot secure a loan due to tight credit markets.

Clients are mostly affluent individuals whose primary motivation is environmental, Mathers said.

Two years ago, David Allen and his wife Heather Cochran hired Mathers to install 16 rain barrels to catch a combined 800 gallons of runoff from the couple’s Silver Lake home.

Under L.A.’s upcoming ordinance, new or redeveloped single family homes need not capture all runoff, but rain barrels, permeable pavement or other options must be installed.

“It only rains a little bit here, but it rains intensely for like four months out of the year and that’s it,” Allen said, standing on his well-manicured lawn, equipped with a sprinkler system fastened to a set of bright blue barrels “It just seemed stupid to let it wash away.”

Allen, who along with his wife are from Virginia, said the rain barrels allow the couple to bring a lush East Coast environment to their children without the accompanying guilt.

“(The barrels) encouraged us to not feel bad about having grass,” he said, his nine-month old son, Boone, bouncing in his arms. “Because you know having grass in this climate is a pretty ostentatious consumption of resources.”

Although the same water concerns have increased desalination proposals and rainwater harvesting, environmental groups have criticized desalination for potentially causing harm to sea life and its high energy costs.

“We’re basically in a scenario in L.A. where there is still a lot more potential to maximize rainwater capture, conservation and recycling,” said Heal the Bay’s coastal resources director Sarah Abramson Sikich. “We think those things need to be utilized prior to looking at desalination.”

Rainwater capture is key not only for its environmental benefits, Mathers said, but also because it can change the relationship with what appears to be an infinite source.

“You go to the bottom of the tank and it’s barely flowing out,” he said. ‘So you begin to understand your own water supply … and the value of water increases instead of decreases.”

Three years in, Hey! Tanks L.A. isn’t profitable yet, but Mathers said he expects to hit the black this year. With the local water conservation push and Los Angeles’ new ordinance, he and his partner, Fuller anticipate letting others do the heavy lifting soon.

“If we progress at the rate we want to, and it looks like it is going to, we definitely will be over the ditch telling people what to do,” Fuller said.

Mathers concurred.

“The future? It’s awesome,” he said. “It’s so bright we’re going to need shades.”

I am at the doctor’s office as I write
this article. Don’t worry, I am
O.K. But I have been here since
10:00 a.m., and it is now 4:00 p.m.
Let me give you some background as
to why I’m here…
As you know, we are in a drought and
California native gardens are getting
very popular. Native gardens need
very little water, which will save your clients and mine a lot
of money. Here’s the problem: Part of the low-water use
family of plants are succulents and cactus. When handling
cactus, BE VERY CAREFUL. You may think, and rightly
so, that getting poked by a cactus needle hurts, but it may
not end there. If any of the needle gets stuck inside of you,
IT WILL GET INFECTED. It is organic and decomposes.
While decomposing inside of you, it will get infected and
could lead to your losing your finger or hand, if that is
where you got stuck. There are many stories about this and
many of them are true.
If you try to pull out a cactus needle which has penetrated
into your hand or somewhere else and are unsuccessful,
do not hesitate to go to the doctor. This is why you or
your boss pays for Workers’ Comp insurance. Paying for
Workers’ Comp insurance means your employer cares for
you and wants to DO THE RIGHT THING. “What if I can’t
afford to pay for Workers’ Comp insurance?” you ask. A
better question is, “Can I afford to NOT pay for and have
this insurance?”
Let’s get back to the doctor’s office. A good friend and
employee got stuck with a cactus needle that broke off deep
in his hand. He tried to dig it out himself. After realizing
how deep it was, he asked me what to do. I said that he
needed to see a doctor. We called our insurance carrier
(Landscape Contractors Insurance Services – LCIS) and
since this was not a bloody emergency, I got their advice
on the best route to take, as we all work together to keep
costs down. They directed me and my friend to a medical
provider in my area. The first doctor did not have the
expertise to go as deeply as needed to get the needle out.
He told me that going in too deeply in the hand could cut
the nerves and lead to possible paralysis of that hand. I am
sure glad we carry Workers’ Comp insurance! We ended up
going to a hand surgeon ten miles away. Thankfully, I was
just told that my friend and employee is going to be fine, due
to the careful and knowledgeable work of an expert surgeon.
Why do some businesses carry Workers’ Comp insurance
and others do not? They may think it’s too expensive.
Company owners who do pay for the insurance may need
to charge their customers a little more, but they can sleep at
night, knowing they are covered if something goes wrong.
I’m happy to be among that group.
To find out more about the benefits of carrying Workers’
Compensation insurance, visit an upcoming ALL-PRO
or CLCA meeting and speak to other Green Industry
professionals to see how Workers’ Comp insurance saved
their business and reputation.

commentary
Enviroscape Landscaping Contractor  Mike Garcia

website: http://enviroscapela.com
email: mike@enviroiscapela.com
phone:   (310) 374-1199