Every Drop Counts

How you can conserve water outside your home.

Landscaping accounts for 20-50% of all residential water use. (AWWA)

Don't over water your lawn. Lawns only need watering every 5 to 7 days in the summer and every 10 to 14 days in the winter.
Water lawns during the early morning hours when temperatures and wind speed are the lowest. This reduces losses from evaporation.
Raise the lawn mower blade to at least three inches. A lawn cut higher encourages grass roots to grow deeper, shades the root system and holds soil moisture better than a closely-clipped lawn.
Avoid over-fertilizing your lawn. The application of fertilizers increases the need for water. Apply fertilizers which contain slow-release, water-insoluble forms of nitrogen.
Plant native grasses, shrubs, and trees. They do not need to be watered as frequently and usually survive a dry period without any watering.
Do not hose down your driveway or sidewalk. Use a broom to clean leaves and other debris from these areas. Using a hose to clean a driveway can waste hundreds of gallons of water.
Do not leave sprinklers or hoses unattended. Your garden hoses can pour out 600 gallons or more in only a few hours, so don't leave the sprinkler running all day. Use a kitchen timer to remind yourself to turn it off.
Use a commercial car wash that recycles water. If you wash your own car, park on the grass to do so.
If you have a swimming pool, consider a new water-saving pool filter. A single back flushing with a traditional filter uses from l80 to 250 gallons or more of water.

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How you can conserve water