IN THE GARDEN FLOW CONTROL CAN MITIGATE RISING WATER RATES.

Byline: JOSHUA SISKIN

Keeping a lawn green during the summer months in the Valley can cost a small fortune. The Los Angeles City Council has just raised water rates 11 percent and there is a projected increase of 6 percent per year for the next four years.

Just in time, a Valley entrepreneur has invented a device for increasing irrigation efficiency 7 percent to 45 percent for every sprinkler in your lawn and garden.

Known as the ``LittleValve,'' this device is nothing more than a modified sprinkler riser stem - the part that pops up out of the ground. A hole in the side and a stainless steel set screw regulate the amount of flow through the sprinkler. The screw can be adjusted with a 3/16-inch Allen wrench. You do not have to get a whole new set of sprinklers. If you have conventional Toro or Rain Bird type pop-up sprinklers, you can convert them to water-efficient sprinklers by swapping your riser stems for LittleValve stems. LittleValves are also available in stationary shrub heads usually found in planter areas.

With exact control over your sprinklers, you also eliminate overspray onto sidewalks, building facades, walls and fences. And you will no longer have to think about whether you should use different radius nozzles when watering lawns or beds. LittleValves use 15-foot radius nozzles alone, so if the area requires a smaller radius spray, you simply close the adjustment screw until your sprinklers are throwing the required distance. The larger-size opening in 15-foot nozzles also means less clogging.

What's more, because you can close the adjustment screw all the way and shut off the flow of water, you can remove a broken or clogged nozzle much easier.

You can contact the manufacturers of LittleValves at [phone] or go to their Web site for product pictures and descriptions at www.valvettesystems.com.

Dup Peirce of Van Nuys and Laurie Saidiner of Sherman Oaks sent e- mails with an identical complaint: Crows have inundated their back yards. Crows are among the most difficult animals to deter because of their keen intelligence. Scarecrows are effective for no more than a week or two.

There is anecdotal evidence that the image of a cat, however, has kept crows away. In one report, a plaster cat head, mounted high on a rod of rebar, seemed to do the trick. In another account, a giant cardboard cat head affixed to the side of a garage was similarly successful. Shiny pieces of metal and brightly colored Mylar ballons hung from trees may also keep crows away.

Speaking of critters in the garden, Leslie Rink is a Valley resident dedicated to the protection and care of the opossum and the squirrel. If either of these animals is an unwanted guest in your garden, call Leslie at [phone] and she will happily relocate the wayward rodent at no charge.

TIP OF THE WEEK: There is a new company that sells nothing but ground covers that can take foot traffic (www.stepables.com). You can either order plants directly from the site or get a list of local nurseries that carry them.