Saving Water Outdoors

Water Efficiently

• Group plants together based on similar water needs.
• Adjust automatic irrigation systems according to season and weather.
• Water your lawn/landscape once a month on designated watering days.
• Water during daylight hours in the fall and winter.
• Inspect sprinkler systems for leaks, broken (or improperly angled) sprinkler heads, properly set irrigation controller, and assure proper coverage.
• Water trees and shrubs, which have deep root systems, longer and less frequently than shallow-rooted plants, which require smaller amounts of water more often.
• Adjust sprinklers to water the lawn or garden only, not the street or sidewalk.
• Use water-efficient irrigation devices, such as soaker hoses and trickle irrigation systems, which will reduce the amount of water lost to evaporation.
• Install moisture sensors on sprinkler systems.

Planting

• Have your soil tested for nutrient content and add organic matter if needed. Well amended soil absorbs and retains water better.
• Minimize turf areas. Instead of turf, use less water-demanding plantings and cover the ground with mulch which will help to prevent evaporation of moisture from the soil.
• Use mulch around shrubs and garden plants to reduce evaporation from the soil surface and weed competition for water.

Irrigation System Maintenance

• Audit your sprinklers to know how long to run the irrigation controller to apply the necessary irrigation amount
• Position sprinklers so that water lands on the lawn and shrubs ... not the paved areas.
• Check your irrigation system for too much pressure that may cause a fine mist that will drift and evaporate in the wind.
• Check that the sprinklers maintain even coverage on the lawn.
• Inspect lines with obvious low-pressure for leaks.
• Reset the irrigation controller at least once a month.

Lawn Care

• 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.
• Minimize turf areas. Instead of turf, use less water-demanding plantings and cover the ground with mulch to reduce evaporation of moisture from the soil.
• Avoid over-fertilizing your lawn. The application of fertilizers increases the need for water. Apply fertilizers that contain slow-release, water-soluble forms of nitrogen.
• Core-aerate turf once or twice a year to encourage beneficial movement of water, air, and nutrients to the root zone.
• Leave the grass clippings on the grass. As they decompose, they add nutrients to the soil and reduce the large quantities of landscape waste dumped in landfills.
• Lower your expectations of bluegrass lawns. Give it enough water to stay healthy. However, bluegrass is a cool-season grass, it is acceptable to let it go dormant for several months during the warm season with little to no long-term damage as long as weed growth is kept in check. Contact your local Extension office for research-based lawn care techniques.
• Concentrate your watering efforts on trees and shrubs especially those that have been planted in the last 3 years. Woody plants are much more difficult and expensive to replace than lawns.

More Outdoor Tips

• Sweep driveways, sidewalks and steps with a broom instead of a hose.
• Wash the car with water from a bucket, not a hose. When using a hose, control the flow with an automatic shut-off nozzle.
• Avoid purchasing recreational water features or toys that do not recycle the water. Use signs to indicate that water is recycled, and do not operate water features during a drought.
• In a swimming pool, lower water level to reduce amount of water that is splashed out.
• Use a pool cover to reduce evaporation when pool is not being used.

Saving Water Indoors

Bathrooms

• Never use the toilet as a wastebasket.
• Do not let the water run while shaving or brushing teeth.
• Take short showers instead of tub baths. Turn off the water flow while soaping or shampooing.
• If you use a bathtub, close the drain before turning on the water and fill the tub.  Bathe small children together.
• Limit the length and frequency of showers and baths.
• Install water-saving devices to decrease water consumption, such as toilet dams, faucet aerators, ultra-low flush toilets, and low flow showerheads.
• Check for dripping faucets, leaky pipes and running toilets. Then, make the necessary repairs.
• Repair all leaks. A leaky toilet can waste up to 200 gallons per day. To detect leaks in the toilet, add food coloring to the tank water. Do not flush. Check in 30 minutes, if the colored water appears in the bowl, the toilet is leaking.
• Install new ultra-low flush toilets, or place a plastic container filled with water in the tank of your old, high-volume toilet. Be sure it does not interfere with operation of the toilets flush mechanism.

Kitchen and Laundry

• Keep drinking water in a pitcher in the refrigerator instead of letting the faucet run until the water is cool.
• Wash fruits and vegetables in a basin. Use a vegetable brush instead of letting the water run. Save this water for your houseplants or landscape.
• Do not use water to defrost frozen foods. Instead, thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
• Scrape, rather than rinse, dishes before loading into the dishwasher.
• Add food wastes, like raw vegetables, to your compost pile instead of using the garbage disposal.
• Operate the dishwasher only when completely full.
• Use the appropriate water level or load size selection on the washing machine.
• Consider purchasing a high-efficiency washing machine that can save over 50 percent in water and energy use.

More Indoor Tips

• Never send water down the drain when there may be another use for it. If you run water to get it cold for drinking or hot for washing dishes, capture the water to use for watering your plants.
• Teach children to close faucets and to minimize water use.
• Read your water meter before and after a two-hour period when water is not being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same, there is a leak.