Yard Tips

Over 60% of the water used at home is outdoors. Learn how to save today.

  1. Grab a wrench and fix that leaky faucet. It’s simple, inexpensive, and you can save 140 gallons a week. Check the washer (rubber ring on the inside of the faucet) and replace or use plumbers tape to secure the leak.
     
  2. For hanging baskets, planters and pots, put ice cubes on top of the soil to give your plants a cool drink of water without overflow.
     
  3. Apply water only as fast as the soil can absorb Water sparingly and check soil to see when water is needed.
     
  4. Make sure all hoses don’t leaks and have rubber washers to prevent leaks.
     
  5. Don’t water your lawn on windy days when most of the water blows away or evaporates.
     
  6. Shut off water to unused areas of your facility to eliminate waste from leaks or unmonitored
    use.
     
  7. Water your lawn more efficiently with a Water sense-labeled irrigation controller. It’s like a programmable thermostat for your sprinkler system because it controls when and how much you water your lawn.
     
  8. Shut off all fountains that include filling and refilling them with water unless you are using recycled water.
     
  9. Know your soil - The type of soil in your landscape determines how often you should water. Clay soils hold more water than sandier ones, they can go longer between watering.
     
  10. Give your sprinkler system a tune-up. A broken sprinkler can pour 25,000. gallons of water down the drain over a 6 month period.
     
  11. The worst water hog is landscaping. Our yards consume 30% of our home’s total water use — more than the household yearly average for washing clothes and showering combined. The problem? Up to 50% of what we use outside is wasted on over-watering our lawns.
     
  12. Let the grass grow. Longer grass reduces water evaporation, and as a bonus you’ll have fewer weeds.
     
  13. With summer approaching don’t forget to always use hoses with shutoff nozzles, every drop counts during our California drought.
     
  14. Are you still letting rainy days go to waste? Why not invest in a rain barrel? No gutters? No excuse... just let it sit out where ever it can catch the rain.