DURANGO, Colo. - The La Plata County Sustainability Office has issued a list of key “do’s and don’ts” for watering efficiency during the summer months. According to the Sustainability Office, by following these basic water conservation principles, residents can help conserve the community’s precious water resource and still enjoy a healthy, hardy and drought-resistant landscape.

•     Water as deeply and as infrequently as possible.  It will help to stimulate healthy and deeper root growth which makes the grass more resistant to drought and diseases.  In Colorado, cool season turfgrass such as bluegrass, fescue, perennial ryegrass, or bentgrass needs regular applications of water.  Always check the soil moisture prior to watering and never water until the top layer of the soil has dried.

•     Water application guideline.  Apply 1.0 to 1.5 inches of water per each application.  To determine watering time required, set several shallow pans in different areas of the lawn for thirty minutes; then take the average depth of water in these containers multiplied by two, which is the inches of water per hour being emitted by the sprinkling system.  

•     Watering frequency.  Look for signs of wilt to determine watering frequency.  Some of these often show up in the same location on the lawn: footprints or lawn mower tracks that remain at least one half hour after traffic has passed, or turf that turns a shade of blue-gray when it is water stressed. 

•    Watering times.  It works best to water between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m., but not during the heat of the day or when the wind is blowing due to evaporation loss.             

•     Eliminating waste.  Always monitor and adjust sprinklers to hit the landscape only, not the house, sidewalk, street or parking lot.  Typically, shaded areas need watering less often than turf areas in full sun.  Avoid applying more water than can be contained in the root zone.  Skip watering on days following one half inches or more of rainfall.  On cool cloudy days, plants use less water and there is less evaporation.  This extends the time between watering.

•     Check your watering system.  Check to see how long each zone is scheduled to operate and adjust the timer.  A shade zone will require less water than a hot, sunny area and the cooler seasons require less water than during hot summer months.  Check sprinkler heads frequently to make sure that they are functioning properly and learn how to operate your system manually. 

•     Watering with a hose?  Use household timers to remind you to move or stop soaker hoses and sprinklers, and check your sprinklers to see how much water they put out.  You can also use a watering timer device to help regulate watering practices.

La Plata County government welcomes feedback from its citizens as a way to further accountability with maximizing watering efficiency measurers.  To report watering inefficiencies at county facilities, or for questions, comments and suggestions, contact the La Plata County Sustainability Office at 382.6417.  The City of Durango also has basic watering tips on its website at:  http://www.durangogov.org/

These tips are provided through the Green Industries of Colorado and Colorado State University Extension. For further information, contact Walt Serfoss, Sustainability Coordinator, at 382.6417 or  serfosswa@co.laplata.co.us. 

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