More than half the water used between May and October is used for landscape irrigation. Based on community water use figures, 40% to 50% of that landscape irrigation water is wasted! This is often due to poor design, poor maintenance, poor management and the fact that past irrigation system design was seldom focused on water conservation.

With the irrigation season rapidly approaching, Parker Water & Sanitation District would like to ask for your help in conserving our valuable water resources. Wait to activate your sprinkler system as late into the season as possible depending on the weather.

April is the perfect time to turn on your automatic sprinkler system and run each zone through a test cycle. Check for leaks or damaged and misaligned sprinkler heads. If you see runoff, reposition or replace the sprinkler heads to water only the grass. But please do not set your system to cycle automatically until at least early or mid May.

Research has shown that postponing irrigation system start up encourages grass roots to seek water and grow deeper. When hot, dry summer days arrive, the deeper root system means the grass can go longer between waterings. Regular irrigation that begins too early in the season can result in the death of deep turf roots, making lawns less drought and wear tolerant.

Practicing the following guidelines can decrease water use by up to 30% over the watering season:

- Do not over water! Most established vegetation does not require more than one inch per week depending on the season and rainfall. Plants will develop deeper roots and ultimately require less watering when not over-watered.

- When determining the watering needs of planted areas, dig down about 4 to 6 inches to determine the moisture content of the soil. Do not worry about the dryness of the top inch of soil. If the soil is too dry to form a ball when squeezed in the hand, it needs water.

- Never water if the soil is still wet.

- Water all plants deeply but infrequently to encourage deeper, healthier rooting. Prolonged intervals between watering (short of drought damage) will provide maximum encouragement of plant growth.

- Set the controller to water only half the amount your landscape will typically need in July. Consider decreasing the number of days in half and not the time per zone.

- Consider soak cycles. Most compacted/clay soils can't absorb water as quickly as sprinklers apply it. In the Front Range, our typical clay soils can absorb ¼ inch per hour at the most. If you are applying more than ¼ inch of water at a time, create multiple short runtimes an hour apart. Soak cycles are also most appropriate for slopes.

- Consider installing low-angle nozzles on tops of slopes to improve efficiency. Irrigation systems should also apply more water at the top of the slope and less at the base to prevent excess runoff.

- Kentucky bluegrass does NOT require heavy irrigation. Water use depends on the expectations - most landscapes are significantly over-watered!

For more information, contact Craig Miller,
Water Conservation Specialist at cmiller@pwsd.org