Photo Friday | Water Sense

It's only June 17, but this heat is making me angry, y'all. I do not do summer very well. (Very NSFW video that sums up my feelings.) These past few days have felt like a sweaty elephant with a blow dryer is sitting on me. Thanks, Louisiana.

But, as we get fully into summer here, I would like to take a moment to remind everyone to not be a-holes with lawn watering. Most of these water conservation tips apply to those who use automatic sprinklers. Convenience can be so wasteful.



In disclosure, this photo is about a year and a half old, taken when it was around 45 degrees outside (oh, sweet temperature, how I love thee). But the principle is the same. It has just rained. It was cold. That's a sidewalk. And the automatic sprinklers are tsh-tsh-tsh-tttttssssssshhhhhh-ing away.

Yes, automatic sprinklers are easy to keep the lawn and landscaping green and lush. But they waste so much water (and money on your water bill I'm sure) compared to manual watering. Statistically speaking, you are 100% wasting water by letting the sprinklers water already soaked grass or landscaping.

A few easy rules:

• If it is raining, has recently rained, or is about to rain, turn off your automatic sprinklers.
• Don't point your automatic sprinklers at the road, driveway or sidewalk. Unlike plants, concrete does not need to be watered.
• Follow the LUS lawn watering ordinance, which is aimed at combating low water pressure during the peak hours of late afternoon and evening.The ordinance applies to LUS residential, commercial, and wholesale (Youngsville, Broussard, Milton, Scott, Water District North, Water District South) customers using automated watering systems and sprinklers.
• Customers with odd-numbered home/property addresses (ending with 1, 3, 5, 7, 9) water on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
• Customers with even-numbered home/property addresses (ending with 0, 2, 4, 6, 8) water on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
• No watering on Mondays.
• The designated times for lawn watering are from midnight to 2 p.m. (for 14 hours of possible watering time each designated day).
• Fines are accumulative and stay on record for three years. 
• Manual watering, soaker hoses and watering newly planted sod, landscaping and ground cover are exempted by the ordinance. To be exempted for new plantings, you must qualify with LUS.
• Use a rain barrel in your yard and hydrate your landscaping with natural rain instead of city water.
• Especially do not water during the hottest part of the day, roughly between lunch time and dinnertime. It will evaporate too quickly to do your plants any good, and that's even more wasteful.

 

If you would like more information, history and tips on water conservation, read this ol' blog post. Even if you aren't a resident of Lafayette, your city may have its own watering ordinance. Check with your city government before you set the automatic sprinklers.