What is your water budget? Have you stayed within your water budget in the past and if not, how much more did you pay for the increased water? Winter months are a good time to evaluate your overall water usage, indoors and outdoors, and identify ways you can conserve at home.

Practice reading your water meter weekly to track your usage. Your water meter is located in your basement or garage. Reading your meter late at night and again early in the morning can help you find costly leaks, such as a toilet tank. Dye tablets also work well for this purpose. You can pick up dye tablets at the Centennial Water office at 62 Plaza Dr., Highlands Ranch.

To help you further evaluate your water usage, and identify ways to save you water and money in and around your home, contact Centennial Water's Water Efficiency and Conservation Coordinator Thomas Riggle. Thomas can work with you to evaluate your water usage and answer your questions. Contact Thomas at triggle@highlandsranch.org.

Limited outdoor watering of trees and shrubs during winter months is important, especially during periods of dry weather. Water budgets are reduced each winter from mid-October to mid-April to reflect the decline in your landscape's water needs. We all want our landscapes to survive the winter months, so how do you find the balance of staying within your water budget but giving your landscape the water it needs to survive? 

Following are some winter watering guidelines for October through March that help your landscape get the water it needs, and helps you stay within your allocated water budget:

• Monitor weather conditions and hand water trees, shrubs and dry spots in the lawn one to two times per month during extended dry periods without snow cover.
• Water only when the air temperature is above 40 degrees.
• Water at mid-day so the water has time to soak in before the air temperature drops over night.
• Water slowly and allow water to soak into the soil to a depth of 12 inches.

And remember, in the winter months when temperatures are warm and dry, hand water your outdoor landscaping with a hose and/or bucket. Refrain from using your automatic sprinkler system because later freezing temperatures can damage your system.

Locally owned Tagawa Gardens offers some great tips on the best ways to water during dry winter months. Click the video to the right to learn more about watering trees and shrubs around your landscape.