Grounds

Reclaimed Water

LMU currently uses reclaimed water to irrigate approximately 75% of the campus and plans on expanding that coverage to 100% in the upcoming year. Recently, university staff from Facilities and Grounds needed to solve a tricky situation involving reclaimed water.  Due to relatively few other major customers for reclaimed water, the city's water supply developed odors caused by the sulfur dioxide in the water.  Irrigation was halted for a few months while experts, including LMU's Joseph Reichenberger, professor of engineering, came up with a solution. Together, they constructed a reclaimed water treatment station which utilizes a hydrogen peroxide treatment, and has proven to be cost-effective, safe, and environmentally friendly -in addition to eliminating the odors.

In addition to using reclaimed water, campus irrigation also uses RainMaster sprinklers to further conserve water consumption. The control-based sprinkler system utilizes weather-based logic in addition to data taking into account such variables as type of surface and slope in order to minimize runoff. Effective irrigation methods can reduce water consumption to 2.0 gallons per hour as compared to older traditional irrigation which could use up to 1 gallon per minute.

Xeriscaping

"Xeriscaping is so sexy they had to put the 'X' in front."  - Ed Begley, Jr., actor, activist, author

Xeriscaping is a water-sensible approach to landscaping derived by the Greek word for dry (xeros). LMU subscribes to this "landscape ethic" by using drought-resistant plants for much of the campus landscaping. Such plants are acclimated to the Southern California climate and require little or no irrigation.

For more information visit The Garden Spot for lists of native plants, water wise landscaping and other garden resources (courtesy of Metropolitan Water District of Southern California). Some Southern California water districts will also offer rebates, discounts or free giveaways to encourage water-saving measures!