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View Winners → Strategies offered to manage water consumption during summer drought
Arcadia Weekly Jul 11, 2013
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It’s officially summer and temperatures are rising. Most people don’t realize that they use two to four times as much water during the summer than they do during winter..
“Golden State Water encourages our customers to use water wisely all year long,” said Benjamin Lewis, Foothill District Manager. “We hope these timely tips will provide customers with additional ways to use water efficiently during summer’s warmer months.”
Understanding the importance of water conservation to California’s future, Governor Edmond G. Brown Jr. urged residents to conserve outdoors this summer and recently declared July “Water Smart Month” in California.
Statistics also demonstrate how residential water usage increases throughout summer.
During winter, San Gabriel 1-inch meter users have an average monthly water consumption of 9,186 gallons during cooler months. During summer, consumption increases to 11,815 gallons of water. 5/8-inch meter users have an average monthly water consumption of 7,226 gallons during winter. Their consumption rises to 13,269 gallons of water during summer.
Fifty percent of the water used outdoors is wasted because of evaporation, wind or runoff.
Tips to Conserve Water Outdoors:
* Use a broom instead of a hose to clean sidewalks and save up to 100 gallons of water.
* Water lawns before 8 a.m. to save up to 25 gallons of water by allowing time for the water to soak in and avoid evaporation.
* Adjust irrigation timers to water lawn zones no more than three times per week and for no more than seven minutes per cycle. Lawns do not need to be irrigated every day. Shrub and tree zones typically need to be watered only one or two times per week.
* Check sprinkler systems for leaks, overspray and broken sprinkler heads and save up to 500 gallons per month.
* Adjust sprinklers so they do not over-spray onto streets, sidewalks and driveways.
* Put a layer of mulch around trees and plants to slow down evaporation and save as much as 1,500 gallons of water per month.
* Repair irrigation leaks to pipes, valves and heads, and consider a pressure reducer if misting occurs since this increases evaporation even before it reaches your lawn.
* Cover pools to prevent up to 20,000 gallons of water from evaporating each year.
