Water-Saving Tips for Businesses

Being water-wise leads to a vibrant community.

A reliable source of water contributes to having a healthy, local economy. Learn more about the many programs and resources Long Beach Water offers business owners to help you save water and money.

Programs

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California Green Business Network

The California Green Business Network is a free program offering certification and recognition to all businesses in Long Beach. This program offers green technical assistance. Learn more about the California Green Business Network.

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Certified Blue Restaurant Program

The Certified Blue Restaurant Program supports and recognizes Long Beach eateries for their efforts in water use efficiency. Visit blue.lbwater.org to see the participating restaurants, learn more about this free program and how to apply.

Check out our flyers in English, Khmer, Spanish, and Tagalog.

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Upgrade with SoCal WaterSmart Rebates

Rebates are available to help your business upgrade to water saving devices both indoors and outdoors. Visit SoCal WaterSmart for a complete list of available rebates and eligibility requirements.

Outdoors

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Turf Replacement

If you are a commercial, industrial or institutional customer looking to remove your building’s grass, contact LawnToGarden@liveh2olb.com. The Commercial Lawn-to-Garden is available for $2 per square foot of turf removed up to 50,000 square feet. Learn more about the Commercial Turf Removal incentive and apply today.

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Irrigation

Did you know that most sprinkler systems are inefficient and tend to waste a lot of water?

Learn more about which types of irrigation systems are water-efficient, including:

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Drip irrigation is a precise, slow, direct system of applying water to the soil, which makes 100% of the water available to the plant. Where drip systems release one to four gallons of water per hour, traditional sprayheads release up to four or more gallons per minute. The environmental and water-saving benefits of drip include decreased run-off, evaporation, and overspray.

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Bubblers are a form of precise watering that delivers water deep into the soil – hence, it is especially useful around plants that have deep roots, such as trees. Bubblers are also useful in certain planter boxes where traditional sprinklers will not work. Bubblers are durable, require little maintenance, require minimal filtration, minimize overspray and evaporation,and have an easily adjustable flow rate.

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Stream rotors replace traditional pop-up sprayheads – that is, you simply screw the old top (the nozzle) off the pop-up and screw the stream rotor back in its place. Compared to traditional sprayheads, stream rotors are fairly water conserving and only release about 25 percent of the water per minute: reducing evaporation and reducing runoff. Stream rotors work well where you need to water a lot of plants that have fairly short root systems, like many groundcovers and bunchgrasses. The alternative irrigation system is to run an extensive drip system.

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Hydrozoning is the grouping of plants with similar watering needs together. In this practice, each respective area is referred to as a hydrozone. Hydrozoning makes it easier to irrigate efficiently by letting you concentrate additional water only to where it is needed. Hydrozoning, combined with a water efficient irrigation system, will maximize the water savings potential of your garden and save you the most money on your water bill.

Lauren Pretty, Owner and General Manager of Certified Blue Restaurant Heritage Sandwich Shop

“We found out about becoming Certified Blue through the Green Business certification process. It was so easy, the city provided aerators for our sinks and installed them for free. Conserving water is important to our restaurant to lower our carbon footprint, save water, and improve California’s drought concern.”
— Lauren Pretty, Owner and General Manager of Certified Blue Restaurant Heritage Sandwich Shop