Water Saving Tips

"When the Well Runs Dry, We will Know the Worth of Our Water" Benjamin Franklin 

Be Water Wise…

Over 50% of water used in Colorado goes to outdoor irrigation, with much of this water being wasted! 😮 While we love great looking lawns, water relies on us to be good stewards. Plus our soil is a mixture of clay, sand, or a combination of both causes more strain on our water resources. Being Efficient Water Stewards may take some trial and error, but once you find a good routine, you'll be able to adjust your watering practices while maintaining healthy landscapes, conserving our water and lowering utility costs.

Irrigate Don’t Evaporate

  • Water between 6pm to  10am when it is cooler and to avoid evaporation during the day.
  • Avoid watering between 10 AM - 6 PM, per Ordinance 967

Water Deeply and Infrequently - 1 to 3 Days per week - and no more for waters sake.

  • Water deeply. Most lawns need 1 to 1.5” of water per week, and possibly 2" during extreme heat.
  • Watering infrequently 1 to 2 times per week, with a 3rd day when temperatures are extreme.
    This stimulates root growth, resulting in healthy, drought tolerant, and pest resistant turf. Watering daily, and too often, leads to a shallow root system and weakens lawns.
  • Increase Number of Cycles per watering run-time: For each scheduled watering day, break longer watering (Run-times) into 2-3 shorter Cycles (start times). For example, divide a 45-minute Run-time into three 15-minute Cycles. Longer run-times keep grass/plants damp and may cause fungal disease, rot and insects.  Watering in cycles encourages deeper, healthy roots, retains moisture deep in the ground and prevents over-watering and water waste (run-off).
  • General Rule of Thumb: How much water?  
    • How much Run-time to get one inch of watering? Place several plastic containers in your yard (per zone) and set a timer. On average, takes 30-minutes to fill a 1/2" of water (60-mins. for 1"). That means, a 20-minute run time, 3-times per week will give a lawn 1-inch of water. Visit Measure Your Water Use to learn more.
    • How many scheduled watering days per week?
       1” of watering per week divided by 2 watering days   = .5” on each scheduled day
       2” of watering per week divided by 2 watering days  = 1” on each scheduled day

Audit, Learn it, and Adjust it

  • Audit to check sprinkler system for efficiency and to prevent leaks and water loss, but most importantly to ensure areas are receiving the appropriate amounts of water (this includes checking sprinkler heads, inline filters, and hoses).
  • Learn it when a sprinkler tech performs annual maintenance and turns on your sprinkler system. This way you can control the watering days, run times, cycles, and soak times based off zones, temperature, rainfall, windy days, sunny or shady areas, and sprinkler heads. Once you learn it, you will enjoy the savings and your part in water efficiency!!
  • Adjust it: Adjust sprinklers to only hit the landscape/yard to prevent water lost to sidewalks, driveways, windows, asphalt, etc.  If you notice water flowing off your lawn, treat your soil with additives to get more water absorption and less water loss.
  • Standard Sprinkler Head Run-times (watering) (Fort Collins Water Wise Tips):
    •  Spray Heads (Fixed, Popups):  Run 20-minutes for an 1/2" of water (40-minutes for 1" per week)
    •  Rotor Heads:  Run 40 to 50-minutes for an 1/2" of water (110-minutes for 1" per week)

Run, Cycle and Soak and roots will love you!

  • Run time = Cycle (start times) and Soak (rest)  Remember, Break up the Run-times (20, 30, 40, or 50 minutes) for each zone into 2 to 3 different Cycles, then Soak (pause) between Cycle. 
  • Sample Programing of 1-4 Zones for a Scheduled Watering Day: (based on popup sprinkler head)
    20-minute run-time per zone, two 10-minute cycles per run-time, plus a 20-minute soak time between each cycle:

    • Cycle Start time #1:  4:00AM-4:40 AM, Zones 1-4 with a run time of 10 minutes each with a 20 min soak

    • Cycle Start time #2:  5:00AM-5:40 AM, Zones 1-4 have a run time of 10 minutes each with a 20 min soak

More Tips to Save Seasonally on Water Utilities

Water more in warmer months (1–2 inches per week) and less in cooler (1 inch or less).

  • General Rule of Thumb: How often to water
    •  1 Day Per Week: Spring (April), or below 70° F, for a total of 1” of water
    •   2 Days Per Week: mid-Spring (May), or 70-85° F, for a total of 1-1.5”
    •   2-3 Days Per Week: Summer (June to late August), or above 85° F, for  total of 1.5-2"
    •   2 Days Per Week: Cooling Down (late August to mid-September), or 70-85° F,  for a total of 1-1.5”
    •   1 Day Per Week: Fall (mid-September or until winterized), below 70° F, for a total of 1”
    •   1 -2 times per month: Winter (November-March). weather dry and temperatures above 45° F / use hose with a sprinkler
  • Skip watering when it rains, delay watering when cool and cloudy.
  • Shaded Areas: Water less in shaded areas than in sunny spots.
  • Trees & Shrubs: They need about half the water of your lawn.

Mowing Matters

  • Longer grass holds more water, promotes drought resistant lawns, and prevents weed growth.
  • Suggested grass height: Set your mower at least 2 to 3 inches, and keep the blade sharp.
  • Know your Grass: Cool season grasses to 2.5 to 3.5 inches long and warm season grasses 2 to 3 inches.
  • Avoid mowing wet grass to avoid fungal disease

Check Soil Moisture.

  • Simply insert a 6-inch screwdriver into the soil; if it can be easily inserted, you don’t need to water. 
  • Step on your lawn to test the grass’s water content. If it bounces back, it doesn’t need watering. If it stays flat, it’s time to water.

Spring Aeration. Yard Revitalization…. Aerating helps water, oxygen, and nutrients get deep into the soil to create a healthier lawn and improve water efficiency. DIYers can rent aerators, or you can contract a landscaping company. It is important to pre water before aeration to pull at least 2 inches of (soil) plugs. Plugs are essential to the lawn’s health, so leave them on the ground to decompose. 

Watering with a hose? Use household timers to remind you to move or stop soaker hoses and sprinklers. To check how much water you are using, place a shallow container in the yard to capture and measure how much water was used. This measurement estimates how long you should water based on the number of inches captured.

Helpful Links for Water Saving Tips