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NBC News
Channel 10 with Audrey Laganas
Water Conservation
and Reducing Landscape Water Needs
Filmed at the Davisville
Demonstration Site,
this segment aired August 27, 2003 and focused on reducing
landscape water needs and proper lawn
watering.
For
more information view our healthy landscapes fact sheet,
water wisely.
As fall quickly approaches, this can be an ideal time to
consider landscape renovations and plantings. Proper planning
can reduce your future landscape watering needs, saving you
both time and money.
Lawns are a big consumer of water. Consider this:
Lawns need about 1” of water per week to remain actively
growing during summer months. 1 inch of water over
1,000 sq. feet (50’ by 20’)
is about 625 gallons of water. This represents about:
12 loads of laundry or
25 showers or
10,000 8 oz. glasses of water
(enough to give about half
the North Kingstown residents a glass of water)
5,000
square feet of lawn (an area 50 by 100 feet) requires 3000
gallons of water per week to remain
actively growing.
This is 2 – 3 times more water used on the lawn than
is used indoors for one week. Some homes actually have a
much larger lawn area, 15,000 square feet or more, requiring
7 – 10 times more water than from all indoor water
use.
One
of our demo sites consists of a 15,000 sq. ft. lawn. Due
to proper watering and the abundant rainfall this year,
the owner reduced his summer water bill by 75% compared to
last year, saving about $300. Lawn watering tips:
 Measure
weekly rainfall with a rain gauge
Apply only enough to make up 1 inch per week
Know how much water your sprinklers are applying--use shallow
cans to measure the water being applied
Know how to turn automatic sprinkler systems off, only use
them when needed
Do not irrigate frequently, it encourages shallow roots and
disease--water once a week for a longer period of time.
Early morning watering is best to reduce evaporation
Do not water sidewalks and driveways
Other water saving tips:
If your lawn requires renovation or re-seeding, consider
using a drought tolerant grass seed mixture, which can
withstand dry periods.
Consider reducing your lawn area and establishing garden
beds, walkways, and patio areas.
Once established, gardens and beds require less water than
a lawn, especially if you choose plants that are appropriately
suited for your site conditions and keep the gardens properly
mulched. Consider planting some native and drought-tolerant
plants.
Furthermore, garden beds can be watered using soaker hoses
or drip irrigation methods, which places the water at the
plant root zone. This method of low pressure/low volume watering
is more efficient and conserves water.
Landscaping with crushed stone, paving stones, patio blocks,
wood decking, and mulch materials reduces landscape maintenance
and watering while enhancing aesthetics.
Rain
barrels can collect and store rainwater collect rainwater
for small beds and container plants.
See examples and details at the Davisville Demonstration
Site
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