Water usage in the yard

The following tips on how to conserve water in your yard come from Whole Living magazine.

Adjust your Lawn Mower: A taller lawn will shade plant roots and, as a result, hold soil moisture better than grass that's been closely clipped. Keep your blades at least three inches tall in the growing season, and cut them shorter in the fall to promote fresh growth.

Choose Native Plants: Water used on lawns and gardens accounts for up to 40 percent of total household use. Select species that are native to your area, and they'll have a much better chance of thriving with what Mother Nature provides.

Start Scheduling Your Sprinkler: You should never water midday; you'll lose too much to evaporation. In general, water in the evenings, unless it has been damp - then do it in the morning to avoid mildew problems. Consider using a soaker hose

Use Organic Fertilizer: Natural options (compost, bonemeal, peat) add nutrients without exposing your plants to the toxic chemicals found in conventional fertilizers, which can seep into the ground and contaminate water supplies.

Don't Go Nuts with the Flowers: Annuals, such as petunias and impatiens, typically require more water than most perennials

Rethink Your Lawn: In Oregon in the summer, you'll need a lot of sprinkler activity to maintain a huge grassy lawn. Consider tearing it out and using Xeriscaping methods to create a low-water usage landscape.

Mulch: Keep a two-inch layer over your flower bed to help your soil retain moisture

Monitor the Weather: Keep track of how much water your plants are getting with a rain gauge so that you don't do double duty with the house.

Monitor the Soil: Insert a trowel into your lawn or garden. If there's moisture two inches below the surface, it doesn't need water.

Sweep Up: Use a broom instead of a hose to clean your porch, driveway, or sidewalk.  As most water in Sandy ends up in the storm system, which ultimately ends up in No-Name Creek or Tickle Creek, this is also a great way to prevent chemicals, dirt, and pollutants from ending up in our streams.

Additional Resources:
- Water-Efficient Plants for the Willamette Valley
- Portland Plant List - September 2011
- Native Plant List
- Water Efficient Landscaping
- Water Wise Landscape Design
- Natural Landscaping and Native Plants
- Xeriscaping

Smart Irrigation Month - part 2

As I found out yesterday, July is Smart Irrigation Month (at least according to the EPA WaterSense program).  Yesterday's tips were about smart watering.  Today here are some specific tips for irrigation and sprinkler systems.

Tips for Irrigation Systems

Look for the Label

If you have a standard clock timer controller, consider replacing it with a WaterSense labeled weather-based irrigation controller (WBIC). WaterSense labeled irrigation controllers can help landscapes save water by scheduling irrigation events only when plants really need it.

Adjust your irrigation system with the seasons.

Familiarize yourself with the settings on your irrigation controller and adjust the watering schedule regularly to conform to seasonal weather conditions. A good rule of thumb – when you adjust your thermostat due to seasonal temperature changes, adjust your irrigation controller watering schedule as well.

Set sprinklers to water the lawn or garden only—not the street or sidewalk, because they don't grow!

Play "zone" defense.

Schedule each individual zone in your irrigation system to account for the type of sprinkler, sun or shade exposure, and the soil type for the specific area. The same watering schedule rarely applies to all zones in the system.

Check for WaterSense!

A certified irrigation professional can design, install, maintain, or audit your system to ensure optimal efficiency using the proper amount of water to maintain a healthy landscape. Ask if your irrigation contractor is a WaterSense partner, which means he or she has been certified through a program that focuses on water efficiency.

Inspect your irrigation system monthly.

Check for leaks, broken or clogged heads, and other problems, or engage an irrigation professional to regularly check your system. Clean micro-irrigation filters as needed.

Get your head adjusted.

Correct obstructions in sprinkler heads that prevent sprinklers from distributing water evenly. Keep water off pavement and structures.

Flip to a rain shutoff switch.

Rain shutoff switches, required by law in many states, turn off your system in rainy weather and help compensate for natural rainfall. This inexpensive device can be retrofitted to almost any system.

Use smart technology.

Consider installing water-saving technologies such as WaterSense labeled irrigation controllers, soil moisture sensors, efficient sprinkler heads, and micro or drip irrigation.

Install low-volume micro-irrigation for gardens, trees, and shrubs.

Micro-irrigation includes drip (also known as trickle), micro-spray jets, micro-sprinklers, or bubbler irrigation. Micro-irrigation devices irrigate slowly and minimize evaporation, runoff, and overspray. For more information on drip or micro irrigation, see this videoon drip irrigation installation from our partners at Cascade Water Alliance.

Smart Irrigation Month

Did you know that July is Smart Irrigation Month?  Neither did I until it popped up on my Twitter feed this morning.

The EPA's WaterSense program offers these tips for smart watering:

Don't overwater. Learn plants' water needs and water appropriately.

If you step on your lawn and the grass springs back, it does not need to be watered. Watering plants too much and too frequently results in shallow roots, weed growth, disease, fungus, and stormwater runoff. Water your trees and shrubs, which have deep root systems, longer and less frequently than shallow-rooted plants. Check with your Cooperative Extension Serviceor water utility for advice on watering needs in your area.

Water when the time is right.

The best time to water is in the early morning (4 to 7am)—to reduce evaporation—when the sun is low or down, winds are calm, and temperatures are cool. You can lose as much as 30 percent of water to evaporation by watering midday.

Save it from a rainy day.

Saving water from storms is a great way to supplement efficiency measures. Rain barrels or cisterns can be used to harvest rain water for irrigation and other outdoor water uses.

Be creative with alternative water sources.

Use water from the air conditioning condenser, dehumidifier, bath, or sink on plants or in the garden. When using household wastewater, be careful not to use water that contains bleach, automatic-dishwashing detergent or fabric softener. Use properly treated wastewater for irrigation where available.

Sweep driveways, sidewalks and steps rather than hosing them off.

Check your garden hose for leaks at its connection to the spigot. If it leaks while you run your hose, replace the nylon or rubber hose washer and ensure a tight connection to the spigot using pipe tape and a wrench.

The City of Sandy offers rain barrels that are reclaimed from the barrels used to hold the chemicals that are added to our drinking water to residents of the City.  The barrels are triple-washed, and come with the connectors necessary for hose adaptors and to collect the water from your downspout. These are offered annually at the SOLVE-IT in Sandy event in April, but put your name on the list now by e-mailing  Utilities