April 27, 2017

As much as 50 percent of the water we use outdoors is wasted from inefficient watering methods and systems. Knowing the settings on your irrigation system can result in saving thousands of gallons of water and can help prevent extremely high bills. 

Even if your irrigation system is maintained by a private company - consult with them to make sure you aren't over watering. Many systems run early in the morning and you may not even notice how long or frequently your yard has been watered. In addition to being wasteful, it can also result in shallow grass roots, weed growth, disease and fungus.

Most lawns only require 15 minutes of watering to remain healthy which is why Loudoun Water recommends the following watering schedule: 

Even Number Home Addresses Odd Number Home Addresses
Thursday & Sunday Wednesday & Saturday

Avoid watering during the hottest part of the day, which is typically 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. In the hot weather, most of the water will be lost to evaporation or wind. The best time to water you lawn is between 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. Additionally, check to make sure your irrigation system isn't watering unnecessarily if there has been a lot of rain or if it will rain later in the day. Grass only needs on to one and a half inches of water per week to stay lush and green.