Outdoor Water Use

Rules and Forms

Instead of running sprinklers every day, water the lawn only when it really needs it or just give it a good soak every two or three weeks. You really only need about 1/3-inch of water every three weeks during the summer for grass roots and crowns to remain active. And remember, even small rainfall amounts count toward this amount.

Avoid over-watering. Excess water can cause lawn fertilizers and pesticides to seep into your well. Also, too much water will just run off and won’t soak in to your lawn wasting a valuable resource.

Don’t water in the afternoon, evening or at night. Watering at night encourages molds and other bacteria. Water placed on lawns during the day will evaporate before it can soak into the ground. Instead, water only in the early morning before 7 a.m. when you don’t lose water from evaporation and can maximize moisture absorption.

Adjust sprinkler heads so they don’t spray the sidewalk, driveway or street.

Don’t water on windy days when water will evaporate very quickly.

Be weather conscious! Don’t water on cool, overcast or rainy days. Deactivate your sprinkler system on days when the grass needs less moisture. Nothing is more wasteful than to see an irrigation system running in the rain.

Set a clock or timer as a reminder that sprinklers are running, or use an electronic timer to turn them off automatically.