Synopsis
The Las Virgenes Municipal Water District has put out a reminder about reducing your sprinkler times to 2 days per week now that Autumn has arrived. Full press release below.
Full Article
Las Virgenes Municipal Water District Asks Customers to “Adjust Your Sprinkler Timer!”
With the arrival of autumn, Las Virgenes Municipal Water District (LVMWD) is asking customers to reduce the amount of time their sprinkler systems operate, and to reduce watering schedules to two days per week. “Although we may still have warm weather, your plants are ‘solar-powered’,” said Dr. Randal Orton, Resource Conservation Administrator for the District. “As the hours of daylight decrease, the need for water in plants falls quite sharply.”
Dr. Orton said the current water shortage further increases the need for homeowners to reduce watering times. “When water was plentiful some overwatering may have been less critical. With the current supply situation, it makes no sense to give your plants water they can’t use.”
Beside wasting water, excess irrigation often results in runoff to streets and storm drains, carrying contaminants such as pet waste, fertilizers, trash, automotive fluids and more into local creek systems and ultimately to the ocean. LVMWD has also requested homeowners to consider installing newer “smart” irrigation controllers that apply water only when necessary. Some models automatically stop irrigation during and immediately after periods of rain.
Dr. Orton said the District understands that some customers may be afraid to adjust their irrigation controllers. “We know some controllers can be difficult to program. If manuals are lost, they can often be downloaded from the manufacturer’s website. Just like a smoke alarm, it’s also critical to replace the back-up battery found in many controllers to maintain the programmed operating times in case power fails. Otherwise, the controller could revert to its factory settings, which are frequently excessive when you consider our current water shortage.”
Customers seeking guidance on the proper settings for controllers can contact a certified landscape professional, or plan to visit the District’s Landscape Fair on Saturday, October 24 at LVMWD headquarters, 4232 Las Virgenes Road in Calabasas, where irrigation experts will be present.
Las Virgenes Municipal Water District provides potable water, wastewater services, recycled water and biosolids composting for more than 65,000 residents in the cities of Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Westlake Village, and Hidden Hills, as well as unincorporated portions of western Los Angeles County.