During the spring and summer months, over half of the water used by residential customers is used outdoors. Outdoor irrigation creates a diurnal water demand pattern, with high demands at night, when most residents water, and significantly lower demands during the day. This often requires extreme adjustments in production at the water treatment plant throughout the day, sometimes as much as doubling production within a few hours to meet the increased water demand.

Using a watering schedule to limit turf grass watering to certain days based on address makes it so the operational needs of the water treatment plant are more predictable. It helps mitigate wide swings in production by spreading the demand more evenly. Steadier production means steadier processes, protecting our ability to always deliver high-quality water and helping to lower energy demands involved in ramping plant production up and down to extremes.

No, this is a voluntary effort to lower the peaks in demand from outdoor irrigation.

We are currently under normal conditions and there are no water restrictions. For more information, visit our Water Supply Status page.

We are initially focused on residential customers because, during the summer months, irrigation is typically their primary water usage, whereas this is not always the case for businesses. Residential irrigation systems are generally simpler to program and manage, and these properties tend to be more consistent and less complex than commercial properties. While businesses may be considered for this recommendation in the future, by starting with residential customers, we can more effectively communicate and assess whether the initial efforts lead to a reduction in peak water demand before expanding the recommendation.

The Parks Department manages a growing portfolio of approximately 1,000 acres of irrigated land, ensuring it remains aesthetically pleasing, healthy, and safe for our community. Due to the large area they oversee, the 10 p.m. – 7 a.m. watering window they work within due to park use, and the complexity of their irrigation systems, they are not included in the watering schedule recommendations.

The Parks Department is looked to as a leader in water conservation and management practices. During the growing season, park technicians track water usage across park sites, comparing the total amount of water used to the actual needs of the turf. This flow data combined with daily evapotranspiration rate inputs helps identify any inefficiencies in their irrigation systems in real-time and enhances/improves overall watering rates and repair response time.

Moreover, 80% of the 1,000 acres they manage are irrigated with raw water, which has not been treated by our water treatment plant. This non-potable water is more cost-effective for the community.