02 Jul #SmartIrrigationMonth: Water savings tips for the dead of summer
Posted at 14:14h
in Public News
According to the U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA), 30-60% of residential water use occurs outside the home – through irrigation systems, swimming pools, and other outdoor water use. As much as 50% of that is lost due to inefficient watering systems.
White House Utility District (WHUD), an EPA WaterSense partner, is offering three quick and easy ways to better manage outdoor water use:
Sprinkler maintenance.
There is a for step process for maintaining sprinklers for maximum efficiency: Inspect, Connect, Direct, Select.
- Inspect all sprinkler heads to ensure they aren’t cracked or damaged. A broken sprinkler head can lose up to 25,000 gallons of water over the course of six months. That’s more than double the amount most households will use in a single month.
- Connect hoses and pipes well. A leak as small as the tip of a pen can lose up to 6,300 gallons of water per month.
- Direct sprinklers so they are only watering the lawn. Sidewalks and patios do not need water.
- Select WaterSense labeled products, particularly controllers and timers. Residents can visit https://www.epa.gov/watersense/watering-tips#smarter-tech to find WaterSense labeled products.
Water wisely.
- Water the lawn in the early morning, before the midday heat arrives. This will help reduce evaporation. Residents can also look for sprinklers that produce droplets, not mist, or use soaker hoses or trickle irrigation for trees and shrubs.
- Avoid over watering the lawns. To see if your grass needs watering, step on it. If the grass springs back, it does not need water.
- And last, raise your mower blades. Taller grass is more resistant to extreme heat and drought conditions. It also allows fewer weeds and helps reduce evaporation.
Give your hose a break.
- Use a broom or leaf blower to clear driveways, patios and steps, not your hose.
- Remember it’s also okay to take sprinkler breaks. Grass isn’t meant to be bright green in the summer.
- And watch the weather! If it rains, turn off your timer and let Mother Nature do the nurturing.
For more outdoor water savings tips, visit our Outdoor Water Use section.
