Environmental Council Blog - Water

Satellite irrigation program at Mediterra saving water, money

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:56:00-0400

A satellite-controlled irrigation system at Mediterra is showing promising results, using up to 80 percent less water than conventional irrigation and saving money on household water bills. The project, launched last year, is comparing the amount of water used by Toro Irrigation's weather-based IntelliSense system to traditional timer-controlled irrigation in the Lucarno villa neighborhood at Mediterra.

Just seven months into the 18-month pilot study, the Toro system has saved 1.23 million gallons of water on seven test properties compared to seven similarly sized and landscaped control sites, according to Dennis Cafaro, general manager of Resource Conservation Systems, a Bonita Bay Group company that provides non-potable water to master-planned communities.

You can read the whole story at this link: http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2008/aug/23/satellite-irrigation-program-mediterra-saving-wate/

Mulching helps save WATER!

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 16:17:00-0400

Mulch is a protective covering, usually of organic matter such as leaves, shredded wood or pine straw, placed around plants. Mulch can significantly reduce the moisture evaporation from the soil because it reduces the soil's exposure to wind. The insulating quality of mulch aids in keeping soil cooler in the summer. For more information visit; www.gomulch.com.

Site to See

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 09:49:00-0400

The Orange River was one of Florida's first rivers to be officially meandered by state surveyors documenting navigable waterways. In pioneer days it was commercially important as a shipping lane for the citrus industry, from which its name was derived. These days the Orange is known for the power plant effluent that attracts manatees, snook, and tarpon to its unnaturally warm waters.

Friday Paddle: Lee County Park & Recreation is offering a new, one-way paddling tour on the Orange River, from Buckingham Road downstream to Manatee Park. A short paddling clinic at 8:30am will be followed by a caravan to the launch point four miles up the river, for a three-hour paddle back to the park. Only $35.00.

More info: Call 690-5030