Your landscape irrigation system can use up to 70% of your domestic water use! There is something you can do.

1. Complete a ‘water audit’ by having a qualified irrigation technician inspect, test, and calibrate your system. Using ‘catch cups’ and measuring the amount of water each sprinkler zone is using. That way the system controller can be programed correctly, and all the sprinklers adjusted and or relocated for the best coverage.
2. Install a ‘Smart’ controller that uses weather data to set run times based the current weather conditions. Smart controllers can save up to 40% of the water used for your landscape.
3. Make sure you have no leaks, even if they are minor it can add up.
4. Plan ahead, in case due to drought conditions, you might have to restrict water use as mandated by your water district. If you are on a well, water levels can drop in your well because the aquifers are not recharging as quickly due to drought conditions.
5. Consider replacing plants that require lots of water with those that can do well with less. Native plants can be a good alternate to thirsty landscape cultivators. Also reducing the size or eliminating lawns can save huge amounts of water. Lawns are high water consumers. There is in the works, turf grass that is being developed that uses less water, so lawns are not totally on their way out.

Redesigning your landscape to meet today’s changing climate will be a very smart investment in your landscape and add value to your property. The one thing you do not want to happen is to lose your investment in your landscape and property. Be “Water Wise”.