March 2026 Greener Davis Environmental News

Fix a Leak Week

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), a household’s water leaks can account for more than 10,000 gallons per year on average (the amount of water it takes to wash 300 loads of laundry). During EPA’s Fix a Leak Week March 16 - 22, 2026 (or any time of the year), take a few minutes out of the day to look for leaks in and around your property.

Chase down leaks using the tips below:

• Flag down high-water use. Review your recent utility bills to check water usage. Log-in or register for the City’s customer water use portal, AquaHawk, at SaveDavisWater.org to review daily and hourly water usage, and set your own usage alerts.
• Put your toilet to the test. Silent toilet flapper leaks are one of the most common leaks in the home. You may not see water dripping or even hear water running but could still have a leaking toilet flapper. Fortunately, there’s a simple way to check for leaks and if a leak is found, it’s an easy fix! Test for toilet flapper leaks by placing two to three drops of food coloring in your toilet tank, leave it for 15 minutes and if color seeps through to the toilet bowl, you likely have a flapper leak. Turn off the water to the toilet, remove the old flapper and bring it with you for comparison or take a picture of the flapper to make sure that the new flapper will fit your toilet model. Install the new flapper and turn the water back on to the toilet. Done!
• Look for leaks. Check for leaks that might be hiding inside or outside your home. Look under sinks in the kitchen and bathroom for any wet spots or puddles. Look outside for drips or puddles by hose bibs or irrigation lines, which could indicate a leak has sprung in your system.

In addition to checking for leaks, also consider replacing your old, inefficient faucet aerators with WaterSense labeled models. If you are upgrading or need to replace a toilet, faucet, showerhead, dishwasher, washing machine or irrigation, look for the WaterSense label on the product.

More Leak Detection Information

Free Compost at the Yolo County Landfill

Just in time for spring planting, the Yolo County Central Landfill is offering free compost to all Yolo County residents from now through October 31, 2026. No appointment is necessary; just bring along your driver's license or utility bill as proof of residency. This program is not available to businesses or professional landscapers.

The Yolo County Landfill is located at 44090 County Rd 28H, open Monday through Saturday, 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Remember to bring your own shovel and bags for easy loading. For more information, visit YoloCounty.org/Landfill.

Green Gardening

Planning to set up a garden or redo your landscape this spring? Here’s some tips to keep your garden “green” and protect the environment.

• Protect stormwater. Plan your landscape to keep rainwater on your property. Redirect downspouts to landscape areas, add rain barrels to your garden and incorporate dry creek beds or swales into your landscape.
• Conserve water. Water with the weather and turn-off irrigation when it's raining. Avoid overspray onto walkways or driveways from your sprinklers. Be sure that your hose has a shut-off nozzle if you water by hand. Consider drip irrigation and choose low-water use plants for your landscape.
• Build sustainable soils. Prior to planting, aerate the soil, incorporate compost, manures and /or other natural fertilizers into the soil. Use mulch around plants and trees.
• Consider composting. Try in-ground composting to add organic matter to the soil or start a backyard compost pile.
• Make a home for wildlife. Choose plants that help support native bees, butterflies and birds. Consider installing bat and/or barn owl boxes to help control insect and rodent populations. Remember to keep pet cats indoors or add a bell to cat collars as they will capture and kill wildlife that may be attracted to your yard.
• Reduce garden waste. Select plants that require less maintenance and pruning and “leaf” your plant trimmings and fallen leaves onsite as a natural mulch.
• Choose to reuse. Use reused lumber to build planting beds and wood chips from tree removal companies as mulch. Save cardboard boxes to use for sheet mulching and start seedlings in empty paper egg cartons.
• Use integrated pest management. Instead of using pesticides, look for other ways to manage pests first. Consider planting pest and disease resistant garden species. Encourage natural predators (such as earwigs, ground beetles, lacewing larvae, parasitic wasps & syrphid larvae) to combat and suppress pest issues.

Find information on green gardening, visit GreenerDavis.org or the UC Davis Arboretum Climate-Ready Gardening Toolkit.

Building Healthy Soils

Soil is made up of mineral matter (sand, silt, clay), organic matter (humus, micro- & macro- organisms), air and water. Soils contain living organisms that are crucial to the health of your garden. Good soil structure contains air space, acts like a sponge when it rains, drains excess water quickly, helps resist erosion and compaction and encourages beneficial soil organisms. Healthy soils are essential for a healthy garden.

No matter what type of soil you have, there are steps you can take to build healthier soils:



• Protect soil from compaction by having clearly defined paths.
• Aerate your soil to improve infiltration and allow oxygen to reach microorganisms for a healthier rootzone.
• Amend your soil with compost to improve the soil structure and return nutrients.
• Add organic mulch on top of the soil (such as wood chips, leaves or grass clippings). Organic mulch has many benefits. It inhibits weed seed germination and weed growth, helps to maintain soil moisture, improves soil structure, reduces soil compaction and gradually adds organic matter to the soil as it breaks down. Mulch also prevents soil erosion from wind and rain.
• Avoid using broad-spectrum pesticides in order to promote a healthy soil ecosystem, since these chemicals can kill helpful microorganisms like bacteria, fungi and nematodes.

Learn more about healthy soils

Bulky Waste Voucher - Save the Date

The one-time bulky waste landfill voucher for 2026 will be arriving in the mail at the end of April. The voucher will be valid from May 1 to October 31 2026. The voucher allows Davis residents to dispose of one free load of bulky waste at the Yolo County Central Landfill. Commercial haulers and business materials will not be accepted as part of this program. Bulky waste includes appliances, toilets, sinks, scrap metal, furniture, electronics and more.

More information will be coming soon. 

Wildlife Spotlight – California Scrub Jay (Aphelocoma californica)

These inquisitive and bold birds are hard to mistake. They are medium-sized birds about 11 inches from bill to tail with a wing span of about 15 inches. The head, wings and tail are vibrant blue. They have gray to brown bellies, and black to grey collars and face masks. The throat has a very obvious white patch. Scrub jays lack the black head crest that is seen on their cousin, the Steller’s Jay.

Scrub jays can be quite entertaining to watch as they explore our yards for food, water or nesting materials. They are often observed hopping around the ground with an acorn, carefully considering a good hiding location (cache). They often stop and look around to ensure there are no other jays or squirrels nearby that might steal their precious acorn. These acorn caches will be revisited for a future meal. Sometimes the acorns are forgotten where they sprout in place starting a new oak tree.



California scrub jays make cup nests in trees or dense shrubs. The female will lay up to five eggs and both adults will share incubation and brooding responsibility. Young jays stay with their parents for the first five months of life before dispersing to new territory. Sometimes young females will stay on the natal territory up to a year. California scrub jays are relatively long-lived, aging up to 15 years in the wild.