Planting the seeds of conservation

Ellen Keys knows about drought. She grew up during the Great Depression in Sallisaw, Okla., depicted in the early pages of "The Grapes of Wrath," John Steinbeck's epic saga of drought and poverty.

She paid closer attention than most Long Beach residents to the pleas for water conservation issued earlier this year by the city Water Department in the face of the Southern California drought and looming water shortages.

"We had signed up for a new sprinkler system and a new lawn, front and back," Keys said, "but I read three months ago where this water is getting awfully scarce, and I asked my husband, 'Do you think we should spend all this money?' "

So the couple canceled their order, and Keys, 83, signed up for a free class on low-water gardening held Saturday at Water Department headquarters. She began thinking of a new lawn design for her home near Long Beach Airport that would feature bricks and drought-tolerant plants.

Keys' instincts proved right.

Three days ago, the Water Department drew statewide attention by issuing the most stringent water-use restrictions of any city in the region. Water experts predict that other cities will soon follow suit. The most talked-about rule will forbid residents to water lawns, plants and gardens more than three times a week -- and even then, only between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m.

Water officials in this waterfront city of 461,000 already were doing research on desalination processes and mailing out notices in water bills, urging residents to curtail showers and change gardening habits. The new rules, which go into effect Friday, are not just short-term measures, they say.

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