Outdoor Water Conservation

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.

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