Water in Common Area
1. The RWC has committed to make water conservation and recycled water opportunities one of the four major Board goals.
2. Rossmoor has riparian rights to the water in Tice Creek and can use it for golf course watering. Those rights can be legally altered by the state during a drought.
3. During the summer, condensate flows into the collection areas to irrigate the golf course. In Mutual 1, all water cooled air conditioners have been replaced. In Mutual 2, SWCM, was built with 483 units having water cooled air conditioners. So far, SWCM has paid to replace 407 units with efficient air conditioning systems saving electricity and water and utilized an annual rebate of $125 for each replacement. The last 76 replacements will be completed in 2026. Condensate accounted for 14% of the water used by the golf course. As a result, RWC will pay for more water from EBMUD and share the cost with all the mutual associations.
4. Rossmoor will continue to speak with area legislators, community leaders and water providers like the East Bay Municipal Utility District and the Central Contra Costa Sanitary District about obtaining more recycled water.
5. Healthy grass is needed on the golf course fairways; it isn’t needed in more remote areas. The removal of such grass, and the need to water it, started a couple of years ago, and should continue to reduce Rossmoor’s dependence on water. The turf-reduction work on the 10 completed holes on the Dollar course, plus some ancillary turf, has already paid significant dividends. 13 acres of grass have been turned back to nature. When a sprinkler head is removed it is thousands of gallons a day.
6. Rossmoor’s street medians also demand less water than a year or two ago. The project to remove turf in the street medians, mostly along Rossmoor Parkway, and replace it with drought-tolerant plants was completed in December, and it is estimated it will save about 1 million gallons of water per year.
7. Further turf reduction can be achieved within the Mutuals, and RWC is looking to reduce other sections of lawn surrounding their clubhouse areas.
8. EBMUD does offer a rebate for lawn conversions, and per EBMUD, Rossmoor has received the largest amount of rebates of any entity in their service area. RPM coordinates all rebate opportunities with the Mutuals and EBMUD.