The Current: Spring 2022
Spring 2022 - Issue LVI
The WaterSense Current is a quarterly update dedicated to news and events related to WaterSense. Sign up to receive The WaterSense Current and get WaterSense news delivered right to your Inbox.
In This Issue:
- Five Things to Do This Earth Day to Save Water
- Cycle-and-Soak Your Way to Water Savings
- Spring Into a Sprinkler Spruce-Up
- Northern Water Takes Savings to New Heights
- City of Sacramento Is on a Water-Saving Winning Streak
Five Things to Do This Earth Day to Save Water
Though 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water, less than one percent is available for human use and consumption due to the high levels of salt found in the majority of water. This Earth Day—and every day—honor the planet and this precious resource by taking five simple actions to save water.
- Save gallons of water by stopping the flow while you are brushing your teeth, shaving, or washing your face and make sure that the faucet handle is shut tight to prevent drips.
- Use the leftover water or ice from your drinking glass to water houseplants or flowers in the garden instead of using a hose.
- Scrape your food scraps into the trash instead of using water to rise them. Placing the dishes in the dishwasher and only running full loads uses a lot less water than rising and washing dishes by hand.
- Take a shower instead of filling a full tub for a bath, and try shortening your shower by just a minute to save an additional two gallons of water.
- Flush the three Ps—pee, poop, and (toilet) paper—and throw anything else in the garbage to save water from unnecessary flushes.
Looking to challenge yourself to save water throughout the rest of the year? Take the I’m for Water Pledge and join thousands of your friends and neighbors in making a commitment to saving water for yourself, your family, and future generations. Check out the WaterSense checklist for simple steps to help keep you on track for saving water all year long.
For more ways to save, visit www.epa.gov/watersense/our-water.
Cycle-and-Soak Your Way to Water Savings
Depending on the slope of your landscape and the type of soil in your area, your sprinklers may be spraying water faster than what can be absorbed, which can contribute to weed growth, affect plant health, and allow fertilizers and pesticides to run off into local water bodies. To allow water to soak in between watering cycles, break your irrigation runtimes into shorter intervals. Known as the “cycle-and-soak” method, this technique gives plants the water they need without contributing to runoff and water waste. By tailoring watering to the specific needs of your landscape conditions, cycle-and-soak reduces pooling while still supplying plants with adequate amounts of water.
When attempting to implement a cycle-and-soak schedule, split runtimes for each irrigation zone or plant section and begin watering in short intervals, noting when the water begins to pool on the surface. This will determine the maximum amount of time to water in one cycle. After getting your optimal runtimes down, you can use a WaterSense labeled irrigation controller to adjust to your irrigation schedule, resulting in even more water savings and a healthier landscape.
Another factor to consider when setting your cycle-and-soak schedule is the time of day. By avoiding watering your plants in the middle of the day, especially in the summertime, you can make sure that the water will not evaporate before it quenches your thirsty plants. Instead, try watering your lawn and landscape in the morning and evening, after the sun starts to go down. For more watering tips, visit https://www.epa.gov/watersense/watering-tips.
Spring Into a Sprinkler Spruce-Up
Although winter may be over, its effect on your irrigation system could still be lingering. Freezing temperatures and ice can damage components of your irrigation system in cold climates, and even in temperate climates your sprinkler could use a little sprucing up before the serious watering season starts. Giving your sprinklers a little TLC could save more than 25,000 gallons of water and $330 in water costs over a six-month irrigation season!
As you start your spring cleaning, take time to spruce up your sprinkler system. Start by inspecting for breaks and leaks that cause overwatering, which not only wastes water but compromises plant health. Use the checklist WaterSense developed to help identify areas of water waste in your irrigation system.
Leaks can also occur around areas that have loose connections. As you are looking at your system, make sure to properly connect sprinkler heads, pipes, and valves. Some leaks could be underground as well—look for pooling water on the surface of your landscape, as this could be a sign of an underground leak.
Sprinkler heads should be directed away from pavement. By avoiding spraying nearby hardscapes, you will be watering more efficiently and preventing runoff of lawn chemicals into the stormwater drain system. Lastly, consider upgrading your irrigation equipment by selecting WaterSense labeled spray sprinkler bodies, weather-based irrigation controllers, or soil moisture sensors to maximize the water efficiency of your irrigation system. As much as 50 percent of the water used outdoors may be lost due to wind, evaporation, and runoff caused by inefficient irrigation methods and systems. A household with an automatic landscape irrigation system that isn't properly maintained and operated can waste up to 25,000 gallons of water annually. It pays to inspect, connect, direct, and select your way to a sprinkler spruce-up!
Northern Water Takes Savings to New Heights
The Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District has earned their second WaterSense Partner of the Year Award after another year of taking water conservation to new heights. Before COVID-19 restrictions were put in place in 2020, Northern Water had held in-person classes in partnership with the Irrigation Association, including: Drip Design, Installation, and Maintenance; Alternative Water Source and Supply; and a class to become a Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditor. Northern Water also partnered with the Sonoran Institute and others to host virtual Growing Water Smart workshops. These workshops aimed to reduce pressure on local water supplies by teaching how water efficiency can be considered when planning for new developments to respond to the intense population growth of the region.
To reduce outdoor water waste, in 2020 Northern Water awarded 13 grants totaling $145,000 to homeowners associations, municipalities, businesses, and districts for water-efficient landscaping projects. To qualify for funding, projects had to use irrigation equipment that earned the WaterSense label; all told, the projects have an estimated water savings of 500,000 gallons annually. To further promote outdoor water savings, Northern Water promoted Sprinkler Spruce-Up by sharing information on the WaterSense Find a Pro tool and promoted the EPA Water Budget Tool.
Looking to reduce water waste in large irrigation areas, Northern Water worked with a local non-profit efficiency organization, Resource Central, to provide irrigation auditing on commercial landscapes and in local homeowners associations’ common areas. Auditors performed 34 onsite consultations in 2020, during which they promoted WaterSense labeled products.
City of Sacramento Is on a Water-Saving Winning Streak
The City of Sacramento (California) Department of Utilities has not only won their second WaterSense Partner of the Year Award in a row, but also won first place in the Wyland National Mayor’s Water Conservation Challenge for cities of their size. In addition to participating in numerous WaterSense campaigns, the City continued its Leak-Free Sacramento program, which is dedicated to assisting customers in disadvantaged communities and low-income areas. The program also repaired six water mains and replaced an additional eight. The Leak-Free Sacramento program saved the City nearly 25 million gallons of water per year.
The City Department of Utilities’ Water Conservation Office provided 184 premium high-efficiency toilets to disadvantaged communities and paid for the labor to install them in multifamily properties as part of its new RE-DO the LOO program. The City also identified the top 7,000 single-family water users and sent them letters encouraging them to participate in a virtual Water Wise house call; 484 residents took advantage of this service. Additionally, the City sent over 21,000 automatic leak notifications to residents in 2020 and conducted over 2,900 free leak investigations. Working with its local electric utility, the City offered instant rebates online for WaterSense labeled irrigation controllers, faucet aerators, and showerheads. The City’s turf conversion rebate had record-breaking participation in 2020, helping customers transform 178,000 square feet of drought-tolerant landscape.
To reach an even broader audience, the City of Sacramento started offering webinars educating residents on how they can save water outdoors including, “Break up with Your Lawn: The Basics to Create a Thriving Landscape,” “Smart Irrigation for Trees,” “Get Water Smart: Irrigation Upgrade,” the “Ins and Outs of Home Water Use,” and a tree pruning webinar.
Fulton Homes Goes Three for Three in Sustainability
Fulton Homes has won its second WaterSense Builder Partner of the Year Award, thanks to their dedication to designing homes that meet specifications to earn the WaterSense label. In 2020, Fulton Homes earned the WaterSense label for over 300 homes, which exceeded the company's initial goal of earning the label for 270 houses. The company also used WaterSense labeled products in nearly all the homes they built last year.
Fulton Homes coordinated with site foremen, verification providers, and plumbing contractors to ensure WaterSense specification requirements were followed and provided training for new employees on WaterSense to further promote water conservation in their new homes.
Fulton Homes worked hard to promote WaterSense by placing the program mark on all its promotional materials and banners. Kids that visited Fulton Homes also received stickers about water savings. To further its commitment to sustainability, Fulton Homes became a Triple Crown winner, earning ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year, Indoor AirPLUS Leader, and a WaterSense Partner of the Year Award!
Water Droplets
