Water conservation is the careful use and preservation of any water supply. Since July is Smart Irrigation Month, it seems like a good time to highlight the importance of smart irrigation practices and water conservation. Let’s take a look at exactly what smart irrigation looks like. Then, we’ll offer some water conservation tips you can use elsewhere in your home.
What is smart irrigation?
Irrigation water is essential for growing fruits, vegetables and grains to feed the world’s population. The practice of irrigating has been around for as long as humans have been cultivating plants. As a homeowner, you may use irrigation to keep your lawn beautiful and healthy. Here are some ways to conserve water while maintaining a healthy lawn.
- Rain Gauges- Use a rain gauge to track how much rain nature has provided and then supplement only as needed.
- Timing- Early morning watering allows the water to soak into the ground before sunlight heats the soil.
- Avoid paved areas- Avoid watering sidewalks and other paved areas.
- Water deeply- Shallow watering leads to shallow roots. Water deeply once or twice per week if needed to encourage deep roots.
- Drought conditions- During drought conditions, reduce irrigation gradually over several weeks. Grasses and plants will acclimate to water shortages.
- Avoid fertilizing – New growth requires more water.
- Mow higher – Set your mower to cut higher. Longer grass helps shade roots and soil and promotes deeper roots.
Water conservation tips you can use at home
We have a limited availability of clean water and want to use it wisely. Here are some other tips for water conservation.
- Select energy efficient appliances. They use 15-20 less gallons of water per load!
- Choose water softener exchange tank service. You’ll use less water and still get all the benefits of soft water.
- Install a high efficiency showerhead and save about 1 gallon of water per minute. Speaking of showers, each minute you can shave off your shower time saves up to 2.5 gallons of water.
- Check for water leaks regularly. Even small leaks can waste hundreds of gallons of water a month.
- Fill the dishwasher completely before running. A full or half-full dishwasher will use the same amount of water.
Water is also important to keep our bodies healthy. While conserving water in some ways, we also want to make sure we are drinking plenty of it. We have several solutions for safe, quality drinking water. A filtration system can provide clean, fresh drinking water and eliminate the need to buy water in bottles. We also offer bottleless water coolers for home or office.
Contact us today and we’ll be happy to walk you through all of your options. We want you to be water conservation warriors but also enjoy the best tasting water in North County!
