Beaver Valley Current Outdoor Water Conservation - STAGE 1

Rivervale Current Outdoor Water Conservation - STAGE 1

Christina Lake Current Outdoor Water Conservation - STAGE 1

Outdoor water use accounts for over 30% of the total water used in the Beaver Valley Water Service, 40% in Rivervale Water Utility, and 50% in Christina Lake Water Utility. By reducing the number of days allowed to water and the times allowed to water, you can drastically decrease the amount of water used, which reduces the amount of water treated, the amount of stress on infrastructure, and the cost to maintain the system - saving water, energy, and money!

How can you conserve water?

Clean, safe, and abundant water is essential for life. That's why we all must respect and protect our drinking water sources.

Water sustains life, and healthy watersheds sustain clean water.

Canada is home to 20% of the world's freshwater resources contained within thousands of lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands. They provide us with water to drink, to grow our food, to power our homes, and to sustain our environment and its creatures, warranting responsible stewardship. Healthy water matters - for nature and people.

Sign up for a free Sprinkler System Assessment!

Outdoor water use accounts for a huge portion of the total water used in the summer, mostly from watering our lawns. When you book a free Sprinkler System Assessment we will inspect:

• Sprinkler water distribution
  
• Root zone depth
• Thatch depth
• Soil type
• Sun exposure
• Leaky/broken sprinkler heads & pipes

Using this information we can determine how much watering your lawn needs and present you with a fully customized watering schedule that will help reduce your water usage, and in turn, reduce your energy usage as well. This sprinkler system assessment can be done for both manual and automatic sprinkler systems. Please contact watersmart@rdkb.com or (250)-231-5384 to book your free assessment today. Book by July 31st to enter for a chance to win a drip irrigation set and a hose timer. WaterSmart can also be contacted for the authorization of watering new sod/grass or for any other WaterSmart and related landscaping enquires.

watersmart@rdkb.com

Keep your lawn healthy, a healthy lawn is a Watersmart lawn!

A healthy lawn with deep roots is more resistant to drought conditions and will require less watering and maintenance. Homeowners can significantly reduce their water usage by promoting a healthy lawn through proper maintenance and irrigation practices while enjoying a green and attractive outdoor space.

WaterSmart Summer Lawn Care Tips

• Water in the early morning or evening - This is when evaporation from heat and wind is lowest (4 am-9 am, 7 pm-10 pm).
• Maintain your lawn equipment - Cutting your lawn with a dull blade tears at the grass causing it to use 40-60% more water to recover. Replace leaky and broken sprinkler heads.
• Put lawn projects on hold - Delay projects like aerating, dethatching, and fertilizing as they can cause stress and damage to your grass in hot conditions.
• Plant more trees and shrubs on your property to keep your house cool and protect your yard from drying out. Compost the leaves that fall in the autumn.
• Avoid overwatering! Too much water starves the soil of oxygen and when combined with summer heat, it invites disease. If you're concerned that your lawn isn’t getting the right amount of water, contact your local water smart ambassador to book a free irrigation audit!

• Only use insecticides and fungicides when necessary – Insects, earthworms, beneficial fungi, and other micro-organisms break down thatch and aerate the soil, allowing oxygen and water to infiltrate the soil.
• Keep weeds down - Weeds compete with your grass for water and nutrients in the soil, hand weeding is the best way to get rid of weeds.
• Water deeply and infrequently - This will encourage your grass to grow deeper roots, and in turn help your lawn become more drought-resistant.
• Keep foot traffic on your lawn to a minimum - This can damage and cause stress to your grass. Consider cobble pathways or mulch for heavily trafficked areas.
• Apply compost to your gardens and your lawn. This helps the soil to retain moisture and reduces watering needs while putting nutrients back into the soil.
• Raise your mowing height on your lawn mower – Longer grass helps to shade the soil and reduce evaporation. 2.5 - 3 inches is ideal.

• Let your lawn go dormant when the weather turns hot - Dormant (only watering ¼ – ½ inch every two to four weeks) means no active growth so your grass will turn gold but that doesn’t mean it's dead.

Water and Energy Saving Tips

Try these easy tips to save hot water and energy.

For the Kitchen

• Install water-efficient faucet aerators, which reduce water flow, with no loss of water pressure.
• Fix leaky faucets. A drip can usually be repaired by replacing the washer.
• Run the dishwasher only when it’s full to save hot water.
• When doing dishes fill up the sink instead of letting the water run.
• When cooking, peel and clean vegetables in a large bowl of water instead of under running water.
• When buying a dishwasher, select one with a "light-wash" option.

For the Bathroom

• Install water-efficient faucet aerators, which reduce water flow, with no loss of water pressure.
• Install a water-efficient showerhead. They can save you about 15,300 litres of hot water (a family of four).*
• Fix leaky faucets. A drip can usually be repaired by replacing the washer.
• Shorten shower time by one to three minutes to save hot water.
• Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth.
• To check for toilet leaks add 12 drops of food coloring into the tank, and if color appears in the bowl one hour later, your toilet is leaking.
• When washing or shaving, partially fill the sink and use that water rather than running the tap continuously.
• Always turn taps off tightly so they do not drip.
• You can reduce water usage by 40% to 50% by installing low-flush toilets.
• Filling your bathtub halfway or less can save 45 litres of water per bath.

For Laundry

• Wash laundry in cold water.
• When purchasing a new washing machine, buy a water-saving model that can be adjusted to the load size.
• Only run full loads of laundry.
• Use the shortest cycle possible for washing clothes, and use the "suds-saver" feature if your machine has one.

For Outside

• Cut down on watering your lawn to 1-2 days per week and use shut-off timers or on-off timers, if possible. Do not turn on sprinklers and leave for the day.
• When mowing your lawn set the blades to 2-3 inches high, longer grass retains water better!
• Apply mulch around shrubs and flower beds to reduce evaporation, promote plant growth and control weeds.
• Collect rainfall for irrigation in a screened container.
• Use a bucket to wash your car.
• Always use a broom to clean your driveway/garage.
• Only water the lawn when necessary. If you water your lawn and garden, only do it once a week, if rainfall isn't sufficient. Avoid watering on windy and hot days. Water the lawn and garden in the morning or late in the evening to maximize the amount of water that reaches the plant roots.
• Do not over-water in anticipation of a shortage. Soil cannot store extra water.

Other Water Saving Tips!

• Insulate accessible water pipes with foam pipe wrapping in unheated areas such as basements and crawl spaces.
• Monitor your water usage and ask your local government about a home water audit.
• Share your knowledge about saving water through conservation and efficiency with your neighbors.
• Consider replacing old equipment (like toilets, dishwashers, and laundry machines).
• Use only cleaning products that will not harm the environment when they are washed away after use. Look for "environmentally friendly" products when shopping.

* By switching from a standard 9.5 litre per minute (LPM) showerhead to a water-efficient 6.5 LPM model, a family of four with a standard efficiency natural gas water heater, each taking a daily five-minute shower, can save 15,330 litres of hot water and about 4.7 gigajoules of natural gas per year.

Do you have other water and energy conservation tips? Post them below!