The Eucalyptus Hill Homeowners Association has been named the 2015 City of Santa Barbara Water Hero.
The city gives out the Water Hero award every year to highlight individuals, businesses or organizations that have gone above and beyond to make lasting changes to conserve water and serve as an example of resource efficiency in our community.
The Eucalyptus Hill HOA, which was established in the early 1970s, is being honored for its extraordinary efforts toward saving water outdoors by transforming their communal lawn areas to water-wise landscaping with efficient irrigation.
Eucalyptus Hill once had large communal lawn areas and, therefore, high water bills. The HOA saw value in water-wise landscaping and took actions to retrofit their communal areas within the HOA.
But that wasn’t all. If you were to take a stroll around Eucalyptus Hill’s grounds, you would see water-wise plants in every front yard and even a few rain gardens.
“I think the value to the community is, as a whole, we feel a part of the water savings efforts for the city,” said Mary Lu Edick, Eucalyptus Hill HOA board members and local realtor.
About the old lawn areas she added, “I’ve always heard that the landscaping looked too old fashioned. I think it helps property values overall.”
The Eucalyptus Hill HOA began their landscaping upgrade project in late 2014. By November of 2015, they had replaced nearly 5,000 square feet of lawn with a beautiful water-wise landscape, increased the efficiency of the irrigation system by utilizing drip irrigation, installed a weather-based irrigation controller and participated in the city’s Smart Landscape Rebate and Free Sprinkler Nozzle programs.
Once plants are established, the new landscape is projected to use 65 percent less water than the old lawn.
Barbara Calder, resident and former chairman of architecture, helped initiate this project. She and the planning committee worked with landscape architect Erin Carroll and landscape contractors Cold Springs Landscapes to create a plan and install the new landscaping.
The landscape plan, along with education, helped get the HOA board and 27 homeowners excited and engaged with the project.
“We ripped out all the spray heads from the old lawn, installed the new drip valves and put in a new backflow preventer and pressure regulator. The pressure here is really high, and drip systems like lower pressures,” Carroll said. “We also put in a smart irrigation controller and weather sensor on the side of the clubhouse. The communal landscape now has a wide variety of water-wise plants including blue atlas palm, cycads, oak trees, western redbud and California natives.
Overall, these plants have transformed the landscape by adding an abundance of color and flowers as well as an ecosystem rich with birds and butterflies.
In addition to making long-term efficiency upgrades, the Eucalyptus HOA has set an example for other homeowners associations to follow in their path.
As Barbara Calder said, “The most rewarding part is to see it! I think the finished job is beautiful, and I think the community as a whole has been very positive.”
Congratulations, Eucalyptus Hill HOA, for being a Water Hero!
If you are interested in learning more about the Water Hero award or its past winners, please visit www.SantaBarbaraCA.gov/WaterHero or call 805.564.5460.
— Madeline Ward is the water conservation coordinator for the City of Santa Barbara.