The Importance of Proper Irrigation
Southern Californians use approximately 70% of their water outdoors on irrigation. Since our water supplies must be used wisely, we’ve compiled a small list of easy tips to save water outdoors.
Listed below are some basic ways to reduce the amount of wasted water outdoors:
1) Look at your timer seasonally (this should be done with a landscape professional, if you have one), how long is it set for and how many days? If it’s more than needed for the current weather, adjust it. For help on how much water is needed for your landscape, please visit,
http://www.bewaterwise.com/calculator.html
2) Turn the system on and examine all heads. Check for broken or missing heads, heads buried under vegetation and tilted heads that may be spraying outside of the target area.
3) Check for overspray, while the system is running AND after watering is complete. If there is runoff, the time needs to be lowered and/or the heads need to be adjusted. If water is running off, the grass isn’t absorbing it and it is wasted.
4) If you do find any of these issues within your irrigation system, please fix them within 48 hours, remember EVERY drop counts.
Water Use Calculator
Have you ever wondered how much water you’re using by washing dishes in the dishwasher? How much water your yard requires? How your conservation strategies stack up to others in similar households? Or, maybe you’d just like to know more ways to save water at home. If you’d like to know the answers to these questions and much more, please visit
www.home-water-works.org
On this site you’ll find a water use calculator that asks a few questions relating to the type of landscaping you have, equipment in your home and daily habits to calculate an estimate of water usage and carbon footprint relating to water usage in the home. As we are in the midst of another warm So Cal summer, please take a few minutes to reacquaint yourself with your household water usage and remind yourself on some ways to conserve water.
