Outdoor Water Efficiency
Water use can double or even triple during summer months. You can dramatically reduce water use and still have beautiful, healthy landscapes with these simple tips:
Sprinklers and Irrigation
- Know your Weekly Watering Number. Learn exactly how much water your lawn and landscaping needs week by week. Find yours here.
- Go low and slow. Choose a sprinkler that applies water slowly and close to the ground.
- Excessive pressure can lead to misting sprinklers which waste water to evaporation.
- Water your plants, not the street. Direct water flow towards plants and grass.
- Fix broken sprinkler heads right away.
- Run sprinklers in the early morning or evening to curb evaporation.
- Get a rebate to retrofit your existing irrigation controller or sprinkler heads.
Prepare the Soil and Choose the Right Plants
- Add compost or peat moss before planting to improve water retention and soil quality.
- Mulch generously after planting to slow evaporation, control weeds and cool roots.
- Choose native plants. They use less water and provide food and shelter to local wildlife.
- Group plantings by water usage to create watering zones.
- Consider installing a drought and disease tolerant lawn. Avoid planting a lawn on slopes or hard-to-maintain areas.
- Adjust your mower to a higher setting and mulch the clippings into the lawn.
- Prune, control pests and weed regularly to keep your landscape healthy.
- Fertilize only as needed. Extra fertilizer increases water consumption.
- Aerate your lawn annually to improve lawn health by increasing it's ability to absorb water and nutrients.
Pools and Spas
- Cover it. An uncovered pool or spa can lose half its water to evaporation in a year.
- Don’t overfill. Overfilling keeps the skimmer from working well and wastes water. Fill to halfway up the skimmer opening for best results.
Other
- Sweep your driveway, patio and sidewalk instead of hosing them down.
- Consider taking your vehicle to a commercial car wash that uses recycled water.
- Still washing your car at home? Make sure to use a hose-end shutoff nozzle.
- Bathe pets on the lawn during warm weather.
Ready for more?
The Regional Water Providers Consortium is a great local resource. Find your Weekly Watering Number tailored to your zip code along with other conservation tips.
The EPA WaterSense program offers outdoor conservation information and a list of WaterSense products.