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Saving Water….You Can Help 1. Check your outdoor irrigation system for leaks and missing or damaged heads. 2. Ensure that your irrigation system is watering only the grass and the shrubs. Water sprayed, in excessive amounts, onto the street or sidewalk is a violation of the City’s Fugitive Water Ordinance. 3. Consider planting native, adapted, and drought-tolerant plants. It takes about two years for most plants to become established. Group plants according to their watering needs. 4. Use a soaker hose or drip irrigation for shrubs, trees, and plantings. Soaker hoses and drip irrigation put the water into the soil instead of on the leaves and in the air. 5. Use mulch around your trees and plants. Mulch will protect the soil from the heat and will also help retain the water you give your landscape. 6 Learn to water your lawn properly. A clay soil will hold water longer but may be difficult to wet without runoff. Several short water cycles can help penetration. 7. Water your lawn only every 4th or 5th day, but water deeply. Watering every day or every other day wastes water and actually weakens your lawn. 8. Learn how to operate your irrigation controller. Homes with in-ground automatic sprinkler systems use 35% more water than those without in-ground systems. And water use for households using automatic timers for their irrigation systems use 47% more water than in-ground systems that are operated manually. 9. Install rain and freeze sensors in your irrigation system. It’s a huge waste to water during a rainfall. 10. If you have a swimming pool, check it for leaks. A pool cover will save up to 90% of the water lost due to evaporation. 11. Delay construction/major repairs to swimming pools, Jacuzzis, spas, ornamental ponds and fountains. 12. When you wash your car, use a commercial car wash that recycles the water.