The Roslyn Water District (RWD) would like to remind its residents of the importance of water conservation, especially as millions of dollars are being invested to upgrade treatment systems to meet the state’s new water quality standards. As the need for capital to build new and upgraded facilities as well as the cost to operate these facilities increases, water rates and/or taxes will inevitably have to change to fill the budget gaps. For residents, the best way to minimize these potential increases is to ensure they are taking the appropriate measures to conserve water, especially while irrigating their lawns.
“If we didn’t irrigate our lawns, the District would only need two of our wells, but since we as a community irrigate so heavily during the summer, we must maintain eight supply wells,” RWD Chairman Michael Kosinski said. “This is why we encourage every resident with an irrigation system to follow our guidance to ensure they are in a position to conserve as much water as possible without sacrificing the health and beauty of their lawns and landscaping. One of the most effective and easy ways to conserve is to install a smart irrigation controller.”
Smart controllers replace standard irrigation clock timers and use a Wi-Fi connection to link up with local weather stations to automatically adjust watering schedules based on the forecast. This, in turn, allows the controller to understand how much water the lawn needs, usually one inch of water per week, and cuts down on any unnecessary over watering. While it can vary depending on weather and other aspects of your irrigation system, these devices typically reduce irrigation consumption by up to 30 percent.
Residents that have a standard irrigation timer and rely on an irrigation contractor to turn on, turn off and adjust watering schedules are very likely wasting tens of thousands of gallons of water every month. When an irrigation system is turned on in late March or early April and is turned off in the late fall, if watering schedules are not adjusted throughout the season, water is being wasted as watering needs change drastically between April and July. Smart irrigation controllers know exactly how much water your lawn needs at any given time, avoiding this unintentional yet common wasting of water.
“We encourage all of our residents to inquire with their irrigation contractor about installing a smart controller when their system is being shut down or turning on for the season,” Chairman Kosinski continued. “Now is a great time of year to make the switch, especially as contractors are out turning off systems and performing required backflow testing.”
Residents should also note that their backflow devices require maintenance by irrigation contractors every fall. This is the perfect time to consider installing a smart controller in your home.
—Submitted by the Roslyn Water District
