OUTDOOR CONSERVATION FACTS
Some experts estimate that more than 50% of commercial and residential irrigation water use goes to waste due to evaporation, runoff, or over-watering. Following are some common outdoor water inefficiencies, but there are simple solutions to reduce water waste and produce great results:
• Many people water their lawns too often and for too long, over-saturating plants. It’s usually not necessary to water grass every day. Instead, test your lawn by stepping on a patch of grass; if it springs back, it doesn’t need water.
• Regular maintenance of an irrigation system can help ensure that water is distributed evenly on the lawn and does not overspray onto paved areas. Look for an irrigation contractor certified in system maintenance and auditing to keep your system working efficiently.
• An inefficient irrigation system can waste water and money each month, but using weather based irrigation scheduling on a moderate sized yard, for example, can reduce a household’s outdoor water use by about 15%, saving up to 37 gallons of water every day. Alternatively, a weather based irrigation controller can do the scheduling for you, providing the right amount of water to your plants automatically, if adjusted properly.
• Landscaping with plants that are not adaptive to your climate increases water use and costs. Instead, use native plants, or species adapted to the local climate, which reduce outdoor water use by 20 to 50 %.
