John Martin
Southeast Texas Groundwater Conservation District
We are just barely seeing signs of spring but before we know it, summertime will be here once again. That means our water use is going to increase significantly. It is estimated that during the summer we use between two and four times as much water as we do the rest of the year. Overall, depending on where you live and how much watering you do, 30—70 percent of all the water we use at home is used outdoors. The best way to be sure you aren’t wasting water is to follow some simple guidelines that will help conserve our most precious resource. If you don’t, you may be wasting up to 50 percent of the water you are using due to inefficient watering methods. Since nearly all water used within the Southeast Texas Groundwater Conservation District is groundwater (well water), by conserving water today, we are banking it for future use when we experience drought periods. Keep these tips in mind when you are using water outdoors:
· Don’t water your lawn or garden at the wrong time of the day. During the hottest part of the day, you can lose a significant amount of the water you are applying to evaporation.
· Water the lawn only when it needs it. Most lawns only need one inch of water each week. Pay attention to the weather and keep a rain gauge in the yard to help you monitor how much water you are getting.
· One way to tell if your lawn needs water is to step on the grass and see if it springs back. If it does, you needn’t worry about watering. Also, let the grass grow a little. By letting it grow longer it will shade the ground and roots and slow the evaporation rate.
· In the garden, be sure to utilize mulch around your vegetable plants. A good layer of ground cover will allow the water to seep deeper into the soil and reduce loss due to evaporation.
· Pools are very susceptible to evaporation. It’s not uncommon to have to add 2,000 gallons a month to a pool due to summertime evaporation. The use of a pool cover can reduce evaporation by as much as 90 percent. And, believe it or not, even during the winter season you can lose hundreds of gallons per month to evaporation if the pool is not covered.
· Pool features such as fountains have become popular. These fountains look great, but they can significantly increase the amount of water you lose to evaporation. Save water by limiting the runtime of these fountains or eliminate it all together.
· Be conscientious when washing your vehicles at home. If you leave a hose running, you could use as much as 100 gallons or more washing your vehicle. Have a sprayer head on the hose to save water or consider a commercial car wash. A commercial car wash typically uses 35 – 70 gallons of water with newer high-tech facilities using as little as 15 gallons.
Another way to conserve water and reduce your summertime water consumption, and your water bill if you are on a public system, is to install a rainwater collection system and/or a drip irrigation system. These two systems alone or in tandem can reduce your water usage by thousands of gallons. Both of these two options can be kept simple or made as high tech and complex as you would like.
There are a variety of ways to collect rainwater from the roof of your home, workshop, or barn to use later when you need it for watering your ornamentals or your vegetables. The simplest way to
get started with a rainwater collection system is to put a thoroughly cleaned barrel that has a spigot located near or on the bottom of the barrel (if on the bottom barrel must be raised) under a gutter downspout. You will collect approximately 0.6 gallons of water per square foot of roof surface. Keep just one barrel near your flower bed and when they need watering, you will be ready to go.
With a drip irrigation system you will be able to apply a very specific amount of water to each plant individually when you water. You can purchase a basic all-inclusive set-up at your local home improvement store for $50—$75. The starter kits typically come with a variety of components and between 50—100 feet of tubing to get you started
For more information on water conservation ideas visit the Southeast Texas Groundwater Conservation District’s Website at: https://setgcd.org/ ,or the Texas Water Development Board’s site at: https://www.twdb.texas.gov/conservation/
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