Aquarion Water Company, working in cooperation with town and city officials in Greenwich, Stamford, New Canaan and Darien, is encouraging its customers to conserve water by not watering lawns through this Sunday, Aug. 21, due to the recent rain.
Picture by Anton Croos on Wikimedia Commons
Customers are also urged to limit lawn irrigation to a maximum of twice a week (any two days) for the remainder of the season. This applies to irrigation systems, hose-end sprinklers, and soaker hoses, while use of a hand-held hoses for watering is acceptable at any time.
Aquarion will be reminding customers about water conservation with automated phone calls as well.
“We are asking our customers in Greenwich, Stamford, New Canaan and Darien to continue to conserve water and reduce non-essential outdoor water use,” said Charles V. Firlotte, Aquarion President and CEO.
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— an announcement from Aquarion Water Company
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“We have met with town and city officials and are in agreement that we need to work together to ensure that everyone in the area has the water they need, when they need it.”
With below average rainfall and high water demand compared to the same period last year, water levels in Aquarion’s reservoirs are below normal and continue to decline.
Connecticut is currently experiencing a “moderate drought” due to an extended dry spell, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
In addition to limiting the frequency of lawn irrigation and to help conservation efforts, Aquarion recommends the following ways to use water more efficiently:
- Sprinkler heads that are more than five years old use more water; upgrade your sprinkler heads to new, more efficient models
- Check for and fix water leaks, including where sprinkler heads connect to pipes or hoses
- Upgrade your irrigation system from a standard clock timer to a WaterSense-labeled controller that measures moisture levels in the ground
- Allow grass to grow longer; taller grass is healthier and requires less water
Visit the utility’s water conservation Web pages for additional outdoor and indoor water conservation tips.
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Editor’s note: Here are some lawn irrigation tips from this Aquarion Web page:
It’s hard to believe, but some homes use more water outdoors in the summer than they use for all other purposes all year.
The average suburban house uses at least 30 percent of its water for irrigation, even though more than 50 percent of landscape water is lost due to evaporation or over-watering.
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The good news is that highly attractive, low-maintenance landscapes are possible without enormous amounts of water.
The same goes for the fertilizers and weed killers that can run off your property to pollute streams and larger bodies of water. Conserving lawn and garden water usage can have an impact far beyond your property lines.
- Minimize lawn and garden water use by:
- Watering outdoors only when needed, not on a set schedule. If your grass springs back after you step on it, it doesn’t need watering.
- Watering by hand – automated systems use significantly more water, not all of which is actually needed.
- Installing drip-irrigation systems in your garden rather than sprinklers (hand-watering is still best).
- Planting gardens to take advantage of rainwater running off other parts of your property.
- Using a rain barrel to capture water running from your roof to use in your garden. Use cooking water, too, as well as water captured from faucets as you wait for it to warm or cool.
- Reducing the size of your lawn by planting shrubs, berry bushes or other low-maintenance ground covers – or just letting it go “native.”
- Letting your grass grow longer, which will encourage deeper roots and keep them cooler and moisture during dry spells.
- Leaving grass clippings on the lawn to decompose, nourish the grass and reduce your need for fertilizers.
- Avoid watering in the middle of the day. Water early in the morning or in the evening. That will reduce evaporation and allow more water to reach your lawn’s root zone.
- Using a rain gauge to determine when your lawn needs water and also to measure how much you’re applying. Generally, turf grasses need about ¾”—1″ of water per week. If the forecast calls for rain, hold off on watering.
- Using directional sprinklers, and putting them where they water just the lawn, not driveways or sidewalks.
- Planting trees to shade your lawn.
- Planting drought-resistant grass and other plants.
- Sweep driveways, steps and sidewalks instead of hosing them.
- If you can’t find a car wash that recycles water, wash your car on your lawn.
- Cover swimming pools at night.
- Avoid fountains and pools that don’t have recirculating pumps.