Water Conservation does not require you to dramatically change your lifestyle overnight, but it does require each of us to become more aware of how and why we are using our water. Even as we come to a close of summer and children return to school, high temperatures will continue through September and into October. Below are some simple suggestions from Encanto Real Utility District (Encanto Real UD) to assist you in helping conserve water for our community.
Thoroughly check and inspect all your pipes, hoses, faucets and even appliances for any type of leaks. The smallest leak can easily result in 1000s of gallons of wasted water.
One of the biggest habits to adopt is turning off the water while doing daily hygiene tasks such as brushing teeth, washing hands, shaving, etc. By turning off the water during just one of those habits, the average home can conserve 2,000 plus gallons of water each year.
Most conventional dishwashers use between 7 to 14 gallons of water per load. A water-efficient dishwasher uses only 4.5 to 7 gallons of water per load. A second way to conserve water is to only run your dishwasher with a full load of dirty dishes. Whether you run one dish or a full dishwasher the same amount of water is being used each time you run it.
Another water-efficient appliance you can investigate is your clothes washing machine. On average your normal washing machine will use upwards of 10,000 gallons of water each year. A high-efficiency washer machine uses between 30% to 50% less water per load. That equals nearly 5,000 gallons of water each year.
The best way to maintain a healthy lawn is to water it deeply and infrequently. A thorough watering once or twice a week is better than frequent, light sprinkling.
Plan to water your lawn at least once a week (but no more than three times) for about 10 minutes to give your lawn an inch of moisture. You can measure the depth of the water by how easy it is to push a dowel or screwdriver into the earth to the proper depth: too hard – water deeper; too easy - you may be overwatering your lawn.
Make sure the irrigation system is doing its job. Uniform watering can help avoid brown spots and keep the turf healthy from root to tip. Check the irrigation system weekly to make sure each section of the turf is being supplied with the appropriate amount of water.
To ensure your lawn gets the most possible water, follow these tips for how often to water your lawn in the summer:
Early in the morning and late in the evening are the two best times to water your yard. When watering in the middle times of the day, we increase the rate of evaporation due to the hotter temperatures. Two more ways to conserve water is to eliminate as many weeds as possible and add mulch to all our flower beds. These two things will work together to conserve water for your home. Weeds are known to steal water away from your other plants, so by simply removing weeds, you will not have to water your plants and flowers as often.
Just remember, water conservation is a lifestyle choice that we all can make. By simply adding one of these small steps to our daily routines we can save gallons of water each year. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to the district through our website’s “Contact Us” page.
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