Tips

Top 10 Water Conservation Tips:

Reduce irrigation by one day a week
Find and repair leaks now
Inspect and tune-up irrigation system monthly
Irrigate between midnight and 6:00 a.m. to reduce water loss from evaporation and wind
Use a broom, not a hose, to clean driveway, deck or patio
Use a bucket and a hose with an automatic shut-off nozzle when you wash the car, or take your car to a carwash that recycles.
Cover pools and hot-tubs to reduce evaporation
Use front-load washing machines
Run the dishwasher and clothes washer with full loads only
Prevent and report water waste

In your home:

A typical family of four uses 640 gallons of water a day. Do you know how you use water, and how to use less water? Being water aware is the first step.

Read your water bill and water meter, and use the minimum amount of water for every activity you do.
Fix toilet and faucet leaks promptly. Toilet leaks are sometimes hard to detect. Drop a little food color into the tank and wait five minutes. If the color seeped into the bowl, you have a leak.
Install low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators.
Don't let water run while shaving, brushing teeth or rinsing dishes.
Replace high-water-using toilets with the new 1.6-gallon per flush toilets.
When replacing your old washer, purchase an energy and water saver washing machine that only uses 40% of the water.
To find out what rebates and programs are available from your local water supplier, click here.

In your yard:

Water early in the morning, avoid watering during the heat of the day when water evaporates more quickly, or when it's windy. Sprinkler systems with automatic timers should be set to water before 6 a.m. or after 9 p.m.
The California Irrigation Management Information System (CIMIS) helps Sonoma and Marin County gardeners and growers know when to water their plants. Visit the CIMIS site and check the watering needs for your area.
Avoid excess watering, this allows water to run-off the landscaped area or allows the ground to become super saturated (soggy soil is not good for your plants).
Water infrequently but thoroughly. Watering to a depth of 4-6" will encourage deeper, healthier root development and allow the lawn to go without water for longer periods of time.
Watering your lawn in short cycles is better than one long cycle. By splitting your watering time and by repeating it again about 1 hour later, you will reduce water runoff and water more deeply.
Write down your irrigation schedule and keep it handy (tape it on the inside of the irrigation controller) for future reference and note any changes.
Regularly check your sprinkler systems. Even at a glance, many sprinkler problems may be discovered.
Install a drip irrigation system for shrubs, vegetable gardens, flower beds or pots and save up to 50% in outside water use. It's easy, inexpensive and an efficient way to water.
Defer non-essential new landscape planting until the fall when planting conditions are most favorable, and plant low-water-use plants.
Apply three inches of mulch around the base of plants to retain moisture and prevent evaporation.
Don't spoil your plants. Too much watering may "train" your plants to require more irrigation than is necessary. Low-water-use plants are great, but it takes low-water-user people to keep them that way.
Wash your car with a bucket and a hose with an automatic shut-off nozzle.
Don't mow too low. Keep lawns two to three inches high to prevent them from drying out too quickly.
Sweep away debris. Don't hose down paved or decked areas.
Cover your swimming pool to cut evaporative loss. Postpone any non-essential pool repairs if they require draining and refilling of the pool.
Adopt a mandatory watering schedule (2-day watering schedule: odd-numbered addresses on Tuesday and Saturday, even-numbered on Wednesday and Sunday).
To find out what rebates and programs are available from your local water supplier, click here.
Contact your local water supplier to receive your free copy of the award-winning Water Wise Gardening for Sonoma and Marin Counties CD. This user-friendly computer program utilizes an innovative format of garden tours, interactive photo galleries, and tips on how to use water wisely in your garden and lawn. It includes a database of over 1,000 water-efficient plants that thrive in our area's climate.

At work:

Launched by the Sonoma County Economic Development Board, the Business Environmental Alliance (BEA) was created in response to a business task force finding that while businesses often have an interest in operating in a way that is environmentally responsible, they lack necessary information and support. The BEA encourages and showcases the voluntary adoption by businesses of environmentally-sound business practices.

Agricultural Community:

Don’t start irrigating too early in the season – wait for shoot tips to slow down.
Apply short and more frequent irrigation cycles to prevent wasted water below the root zone.
Irrigate in the early morning or after 6 p.m.
Implement vine and soil moisture monitoring systems
Improve wine quality by applying minimal irrigation quantities.
Use canopy management to avoid heat damage to fruit, rather then using sprinklers.
Large vines waste water. Restrictive early irrigation prevents development of excessively large vines.