Water wise in June and year round

June is National Rivers Month. In celebration, the theme of this week's The Mini Page is rivers. In addition to a connect the dots heron drawing, the Oakland Tribune provided river terminology and information on the uses and conditions of our rivers. This post is my contribution to National Rivers Month. I illustrate some of the terminology featured in The Mini Page. Also, at a more intimate scale - the apartment or the house, the yard or the garden - EBMUD has some tips to conserve water this summer. This past winter is being described as "one of the driest" in the 84 years of the agency's operation. EBMUD Tips - Check for leaks - Inspect your sprinkler system (residential users are encourarged "to water just three days a week, never on consecutive days and always at night or early in the morning) and irrigation controller (does it need new batteries) - Consider EBMUD rebates like the Landscape Rebate Program - Plant waterwise gardens (EBMUD suggests Plants and Landscapes for Summer Dry Gardens, published by EBMUD) River Terminology Note: river systems are composed of streams, brooks, creeks, and smaller rivers (Tribune). An estuary: where a river meets the ocean Puget Sound, Seattle, WA A tributary: "a stream or river that joins a larger stream or river" (Tribune) Nine Mile Run, Pittsburgh, PA A delta: "land that builds up when eroded material such as clay and sand settles at the mouth of a river" (Tribune) San Joaquin Delta, Sacramento, CA A channel: bottom or sides of a river or stream Nine Mile Run, Pittsburgh, PA Note: the photograph shows the transition from a concrete channel to a natural channel.