Water Conservation Commercial (.mov)

The average American family of four uses 400 gallons of water per day, and about 30 percent of that is devoted to outdoor uses. More than half of that outdoor water is used for watering lawns and gardens. Nationwide, landscape irrigation is estimated to account for almost one-third of all residential water use, totaling more than 7 billion gallons per day. In South Lake Tahoe, water use almost triples in the summertime due in large part to landscape irrigation. Other residential outdoor uses include washing automobiles and cleaning sidewalks and driveways.

Some experts estimate that more than 50 percent of commercial and residential irrigation water use goes to waste due to evaporation, runoff or over-watering. Due to the inordinate cost of producing high-quality drinking water for landscape irrigation use, it is crucial to irrigate in an efficient manner.

The following are provisions of the water conservation program that conserve water resources and minimize cost to our customers.

WATER THE RIGHT DAY… AND THE RIGHT WAY!

THE RIGHT DAY IS:

Even-numbered street address: Water Monday, Wednesday and Friday

Odd-numbered street address: Water Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday

No landscape irrigation on Saturday .

THE RIGHT WAY IS:

Properly amend soil before planting any vegetation.

Water the appropriate amount for the vegetation type and soil conditions.

Tahoe soils have limited water holding capacity. Never apply more than one inch of water in any one application.

The District has a free water application gauge that will allow you to determine the application rate your system delivers to your lawn. Call 544-6474 for more information

EXEMPTIONS:

New lawns and vegetation planted to comply to the TRPA’s Best Management Practices (BMPs) or, for any other reason, as follows:

Newly planted sod will be exempt for forty-five (45) days from date of installation

Seeded lawns, whether by hydro seeding or other means, will be exempt for sixty (60) day from date of seeding.

Bedding plants, including annuals and perennials, will be exempt for fifteen (15) days from date of planting

The property owner, or their designee, must notify the District, by phone or in writing, to obtain an exemption for the establishment of new vegetation as outlined above .

Irrigation exclusively utilizing drip or other low-flow systems are exempt from designated irrigation days.

Watering with a hand-held automatic shut-off nozzle, is exempt from designated watering days .

Water the RIGHT AMOUNT

While it is important to water on the correct day for your address, that is only one-half of the equation. It is equally important to water the appropriate amount for Tahoe basin soils.

Lake Tahoe basin soils are composed primarily of decomposed granite and have limited water holding capacity. Soil amendments such as additional organic matter (compost or planting mixtures) can improve this water holding capacity. Lake Tahoe soils require ½ to 1 inch of water per application.

The District Water Educators have lawn watering gauges, free of charge, that will help you determine how long it takes your particular irrigation system to apply ½ to 1 inch of water to your lawn or landscape. Call Water Conservation Specialist, Sarah Jones, at 530-543-6268 or flag down one of our Water Educators to obtain one.

Simply place the measuring gauge on a representative portion of your lawn. Turn on your irrigation system and time how long it takes to fill the gauge to the ½ inch mark. Note the time and set your timer to water for that length of time. It’s that easy!

Source: The Saving Water Partnership “Water Efficient Irrigation Study: Final Report,” May 2003 & STPUD Water Conservation Ordinance