It's the Desert

Conserve our most precious natural resource - water!

August:  Beat the Peak. Check your irrigation system

• Pick up FREE rain and sprinkler gauges at City Hall or Water Resources Administration Building.
• Measure how much water you put on your grass. It needs a total (from sprinklers and rain) of 1.0-1.2 inches per week this time of year.
• Turn on your drip system. Replace missing emitters. Save gallons every time you water.
• Plug lines or move emitters where plants have died or been removed.
• Turn sprinkler heads that water your driveway, sidewalk, street or bushes so they only water grass.

September:  Beat the Peak. Keep pool water IN the pool

• Use a grease pencil to mark the water level of your pool at the skimmer. Check the mark 24 hours later. Your pool should lose no more than 1/4 inch each day.
• Plant trees or place shade structures to keep wind and mid-day sun off your pool. Save hundreds of gallons per year.
• Cover your pool when you retire it for a cool spell or the season. Reduce evaporation and litter.
• Backwash to your landscape, not the street. Water in the street is waste. Water waste is illegal in Goodyear.

October:  Keep your kitchen water-efficient

• Designate one glass for drinking water each day. This will cut down dishwashing loads.
• Wash produce in a partially-filled pan or sink instead of running water.
• Collect the produce rinse water and use it to water house plants or outdoor plantings.
• Soak pots and pans instead of letting water run while you scrape them.
• Use the garbage disposal sparingly. Compost vegetable wastes instead and save gallons every time.

November:  Waste not, want not

• If you have an evaporative cooler, drain it to a flowerbed, tree, or your lawn.
• While fertilizers promote plant growth, they also increase water consumption. Apply the minimum amount of fertilizer needed.
• Leave lower branches on trees and shrubs and allow leaf litter to accumulate. This keeps the soil cooler and reduces evaporation.
• Pick up the phone and report significant water losses from broken pipes, open hydrants and errant sprinklers to the property owner or H2O365 at 623-932-3010.