BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Following all the rain, the most recent California Drought Monitor shows that only parts of Kern County are still in severe drought. However, the City of Bakersfield is staying in conservation mode.
City officials have determined that Bakersfield will maintain the Stage 2 water use restrictions that were adopted in December 2021. That policy is expected to remain in place until December 2023 unless the California State Water Resources Control Board requires the city to alter the policy sooner.
In keeping with the city's water conservation efforts, a new type of urban landscaping is being implemented in roadway medians around Bakersfield. If you've driven down Rosedale Highway recently, you may have even noticed the change.
In an effort to conserve water, the Bakersfield Department of Recreation and Parks have kicked off a pilot program to replace roadway landscaping with xeriscaping (ZER-ih-scaping).
According to CalRecycle, xeriscaping uses slow-growing, drought-tolerant plants in order to reduce the amount of work and water needed to maintain an area, as well as reduce the amount of pesticides and fertilizers required to keep the space healthy.
The median which has been xeriscaped is located on Rosedale Highway between Coffee Road and Calloway Drive.
According to City of Bakersfield Public Information Officer Joe Conroy, the xeriscaping project is expected to save a million gallons of water per year.
"We never know how much water we might have in a given year, so this is an opportunity to cut down on our water use and some of our maintenance needs, free up some of our teams for some other maintenance opportunities and needs across the city and parks, and it also saves money and it saves water at the same time," said Conroy.
The median used to be home to grass and trees. The new landscaping is more drought-tolerant.
The city hopes to expand the xeriscaping program in the near future, and has plans to update medians on both Panorama Drive and Stockdale Avenue, possibly as soon as the end of March.
