As temperatures heat up, keep water conservation in mind
Drip. Drip. Drip. The sound of a leaky faucet is enough to drive
some people crazy, but more than that little leaks are the biggest
source of water waste.
As temperatures heat up, keep water conservation in mind
Drip. Drip. Drip. The sound of a leaky faucet is enough to drive some people crazy, but more than that little leaks are the biggest source of water waste.
“Leaks can be silent so you don’t even realize they are there,” said Shawn Novack, the water conservation program manager for San Benito’s Water Resources Association. “A small leak can be around 200 gallons a day.”
Though water awareness month is nearly over, the Water Resources Association offers free consultations to local families who are interested in finding out the best ways they can conserve water all year – especially important in a year that has seen below average rainfall, according to Novack.
While some of the tips for conserving water are intuitive, such as keeping showers short, turning off water while brushing teeth and only running a dishwasher when it is full, there are some problem areas people don’t often to think about.
“The water around here is so hard some rubber parts like the flapper on a toilet can get corroded before its time,” Novack said. “It can add up to significant amounts [of wasted water].”
As the weather warms, many residents turn the water on more in attempts to keep their yards green or get the garden growing.
“We are starting to enter into our peak time of year for landscape irrigation,” Novack said. “We can assist [residents] with irrigation schedules. We might even be able to assist if you have a small leak to fix.”
The Water Resources Association staff can offer tips on how best to irrigate a yard and the best time to water. Some suggestions include limiting turf areas and planting native plants that thrive in a drier climate.
In terms of when to water, early morning is the best time since less water evaporates and grass should be watered just two to three times a week. Larger shrubs and trees prefer deep, infrequent watering.
The staff will come out and create a custom sprinkler schedule for residents. In 20 minutes, they can measure the sprinkler system’s output, program the automatic sprinkler timer and give guidelines for a watering schedule for each season.
