July is Smart Irrigation Month
More water is used in July than any other month in most areas of the United States, and much of that water goes toward keeping lawns and landscaping green. For this reason, the Irrigation Association has named July "Smart Irrigation Month." This July, take a few minutes to identify ways that you and your community can become more water efficient and still maintain beautiful yards and landscaping.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average American household uses about 30 percent of its water outdoors, while in some parts of the country, this can be as high as 70 percent. Experts estimate that as much as 50 percent of landscape water use goes to waste due to evaporation, wind, or runoff caused by overwatering. Some households lose up to 70 gallons of water each day.
Watering restrictions remain in place. Homeowners with odd numbered addresses may water their lawns from midnight to 10 a.m. or 4 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Residents with even numbered addresses may water on Thursdays and Sundays during the same time periods.
WASD offers single-family homeowners free evaluations of their irrigation systems and rebates if recommendations are implemented as a part of the Irrigation System Evaluation and Rebate Program. After completion of an application, interested homeowners will receive a free evaluation of their irrigation system by the University of Florida's Cooperative Extension Service.
The evaluation will detail to the homeowner how to make their irrigation system more water-efficient. Homeowners who implement the recommendations and provide verification of the retrofits will qualify for up to $400 in rebates for qualifying retrofits, per fiscal year for up to three years. Homeowners do not need to implement all recommendations at once to be eligible for rebates. They can implement the retrofits for what works best for their system and their budget.
For more information on this and other water conservation programs, go www.miamidade.gov/conservation.