Practice Smart Watering

When summer heats up, lawn care remains a hobby and a challenge for most homeowners. The Village of Itasca promotes smart watering practices for lawn care to help citizens conserve water, protect the environment, reduce pesticide use and save money. Water conservation and protection are important to all of us, so we're looking for your help to spread the message.

In the quest for a lush green lawn, many residents and municipalities unknowingly water improperly. Americans use more than 7 billion gallons of water each day for residential outdoor uses, mainly landscape irrigation. As much as half of this water is wasted due to overwatering caused by inefficient watering methods. Runoff from lawns contributes to excess nutrients and pesticides in urban streams. Improper watering and other poor lawn care practices also affect the quality of lawns and contribute to weeds, insects and diseases, creating a vicious cycle of the overuse and reliance on pesticides and fertilizers. Smart watering and healthy lawn practices help prevent these problems, making unnecessary water and chemical use a thing of the past.

Many communities have outdoor watering restrictions, but you don't have to water your lawn just because it's your designated day. In the Village of Itasca, sprinkling is allowed during the following times:

• Midnight to Noon
• 6 p.m. to Midnight
• Even numbered addresses - Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday
• Odd numbered addresses -  Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday

Regulations go in effect May 15 through September 15. During an extreme shortage, as determined by the village mayor, no water from the city mains shall be used for any purpose outside a residence, business or other building.

Smart Watering Practices Tips

Please consider the following smart watering practices tips:

• Improper or over-watering can pollute streams, waste water and lead to a low-quality lawn with weeds, insects or disease.
• Proper watering and healthy lawn practices reduce these problems and limit the need for pesticides and fertilizers.
• You can save on your water bill by letting your lawn go naturally dormant in summer. If it gets 1/4- to 1/2-inch of water or rain every 2 to 4 weeks, it will green up in cooler weather.
• If you don't let your lawn go dormant, it only needs 1 inch of water or rain per week.
• Watering early in the day helps reduce lawn diseases.
• Keeping water on the lawn and off pavement saves water and money.
• You can conserve water, protect the environment, reduce pesticide use and save money by watering wisely and practicing natural lawn care.
• Consider the use of rain barrels

Additional Information

For more information and watering tips, please visit the EPA website.