Helping industry professionals meet new market demands due to water restrictions and skyrocketing water prices

A significant amount of California's fresh water goes toward irrigating landscapes. Our state's population has increased to the point where demand is exceeding our existing water supplies – and there's no more water to make up the deficit.

Homeowners and businesses alike are feeling the pinch more than ever from increased rates, and now with fines for water waste (especially from noticeable runoff). The demand on landscape contractors to provide more efficient water management is the highest it's ever been, and will continue growing for the foreseeable future.

To help landscape contractors and other green industry professionals meet this growing demand, CLCA introduced its new Water Management Certification Program in the summer of 2007. This program is designed as a practical, profitable solution with simple goals: to train water managers to provide customers with good to excellent landscape appearance using the right amount of water based on actual plant requirements.

Profits from water management

The results are tangible (not theoretical) for the contractors who are applying the principles right now on their job sites. Some of the financial rewards you can expect as a CLCA-certified water manager include:

Lower labor costs due to improved landscapes (faster to maintain per visit)
Profits from irrigation system repairs, upgrades, and retrofits (a higher per-hour labor rate than landscape maintenance alone)
Additional service charges for the water management itself (savvy clients would rather pay landscape contractors $750 for saved water than $1200 to their water districts for wasted water)
Added value to your overall services, which results in satisfied clients who are more likely to retain your company for years to come.

Certification program description

CLCA offers two levels of certification:

Full Certification: CLCA Water Manager. Pass the certification test and maintain at least one property for one year at or below the landscape water budget established by the CLCA Water Management Performance program.
Expert Certification: CLCA Expert Water Manager. Manage five properties for one year and continue to manage five properties at or below the water budget and that budget (or management) may not be more than .80 of ETo.

Certification is open to anyone in the landscape industry. Once you pass the written test, you become provisionally certified until completing the one-year performance requirement for full certification.

Upon achieving certification, you will be listed on CLCA's website. Water districts throughout California are expected to provide links to this information.

How to obtain certification

Register for the Performance Test by contacting John Moore by email at h2omanager@charter.net, or by phone: (775) 225-7346.
Download the study guide for the written test here. (To print the study guide, set page scaling to "Fit to Printer margins" when you print the document.)
Apply to take the written test by clicking here.
Test dates, times and locations are provided here and on the application form for the written test. Watch for new test dates. They will be announced as they become available.

Important: You don't need to wait for the next test date to begin the one-year Performance Test cycle. You can get started on the performance requirement TODAY!

CLCA's Water Manager Certification Program is about results!

Higher profits
Lower labor costs
Enhanced customer retention
Endorsements from water districts (free marketing for your quality services)

Proof of results

Pacific Crest Landscape & Maintenance, Inc. in San Jose recently obtained a 30 percent rate hike from one client after showing — with actual figures based on documented water use — how much money that the client was saving each year due to Pacific Crest's effective water management practices. Both parties came out thousands of dollars ahead, even after the rate increase.

"CLCA's Water Management Certification Program is very thorough. A good track record with water management produces quantified results, which you can show to clients as proof of their benefits in doing business with you. Water savings is a trend that will impact landscape businesses more and more as time goes on." – Flavio Velez, President, LandGraphics, San Diego