Water-Wise Lawn Care || Utilities

Day-of-the-Week Watering Schedule

To help manage peak demands on our water system, we ask residential customers to follow a voluntary watering schedule based on street address and only water turf grass on designated days throughout the irrigation season.

Odd addresses: Mondays, Wednesdays and/or Saturdays
Even addresses: Tuesdays, Thursdays and/or Sundays

This watering schedule is voluntary and only applies to turf, not trees, gardens, drip irrigation, etc. Learn more below.

Water-Wise Lawn Care#

Watering Best Practices#

Water between 6 p.m. and 10 a.m., when wind and evaporation are minimal.
Only water two days per week so the grass develops deeper roots. Add a third day on weeks that temperatures are 90° or higher.
Divide your total watering time into two blocks with an hour in between so that the soil can better absorb the water.
Only water when grass turns a dull, bluish-gray color and footprints remain. After a rain, skip watering until the grass dries.
In the fall, winterize early to save water and protect equipment from damage due to freezing.
Be mindful of overwatering new sod installations to avoid water running off onto sidewalks and gutters.

Download the Lawn Care Guidebook

Recommended Watering Times#

Mowing Tips#

Mow early – mowing when it's cool reduces stress on grass.
Mow sharp – dull mower blades tear the grass causing it to stress.
Mow higher – mow bluegrass 2 1/2 " - 3" tall to promote deeper rooting and to shade the plant's root zone. Never cut more than 1/3 of the leaf blade.
Leave clippings – grass clipping add nutrients to the soil. A mulching mower chops grass into smaller pieces.

Lawn Care Ideas and Resources#

Aerate your lawn at least once a year.
Use fertilizer sparingly, since it encourages grass growth that requires more water and mowing. Lightly fertilize bluegrass in the spring and fall. Learn more about Fertilizing your Lawn and Garden.
Replace some bluegrass with planting beds or water-wise grasses. Many species provide seasonal colors and textures to ensure year-round beauty. Learn more about the Basics of Drip Irrigation.
Read about water-wise landscaping: Xeriscape Information, Replacing Lawn with Xeriscape, and Turfgrass Species Selection.
Looking for a contractor? Consider our Water-Wise Professionals.

Day-of-the-Week Watering FAQ#

: During the spring and summer months, over half of the water used by residential customers is used outdoors. Outdoor irrigation creates a diurnal water demand pattern, with high demands at night, when most residents water, and significantly lower demands during the day. This often requires extreme adjustments in production at the water treatment plant throughout the day, sometimes as much as doubling production within a few hours to meet the increased water demand.

Using a watering schedule to limit turf grass watering to certain days based on address makes it so the operational needs of the water treatment plant are more predictable. It helps mitigate wide swings in production by spreading the demand more evenly. Steadier production means steadier processes, protecting our ability to always deliver high-quality water and helping to lower energy demands involved in ramping plant production up and down to extremes.
: No, this is a voluntary effort to lower the peaks in demand from outdoor irrigation.
: We are currently under normal conditions and there are no water restrictions. For more information, visit our Water Supply Status page.
: We are initially focused on residential customers because, during the summer months, irrigation is typically their primary water usage, whereas this is not always the case for businesses. Residential irrigation systems are generally simpler to program and manage, and these properties tend to be more consistent and less complex than commercial properties. While businesses may be considered for this recommendation in the future, by starting with residential customers, we can more effectively communicate and assess whether the initial efforts lead to a reduction in peak water demand before expanding the recommendation.
: The Parks Department manages a growing portfolio of approximately 1,000 acres of irrigated land, ensuring it remains aesthetically pleasing, healthy, and safe for our community. Due to the large area they oversee, the 10 p.m. – 7 a.m. watering window they work within due to park use, and the complexity of their irrigation systems, they are not included in the watering schedule recommendations.

The Parks Department is looked to as a leader in water conservation and management practices. During the growing season, park technicians track water usage across park sites, comparing the total amount of water used to the actual needs of the turf. This flow data combined with daily evapotranspiration rate inputs helps identify any inefficiencies in their irrigation systems in real-time and enhances/improves overall watering rates and repair response time.

Moreover, 80% of the 1,000 acres they manage are irrigated with raw water, which has not been treated by our water treatment plant. This non-potable water is more cost-effective for the community.

Did You Know?

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