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.