Did you know? As much as 40
percent of our water use in the spring and summer goes toward our lawns
and gardens. That's a lot of water wasted. On a typical day city of Minneapolis draws about 70 million gallons of water from the city's water plants. In the summertime, that number can skyrocket to 180 million
gallons.
Your impact: The UN predicts that 3.4 billion people will be living in countries defined as water-scarce by 2025. When water is scarce, people are forced to consume contaminated water.
Cleaning and producing also water requires serious amounts of energy. The Minneapolis Water Treatment and Distribution Services department withdraws approximately 25 billion gallons from the Mississippi River every year, using energy-sucking equipment to remove a total of 100 tons of treatment residuals from the collected water per day. After it's cleaned, it's then pumped into the city's water system by electric motors--another energy gobbler and CO2 producer.
Cutting back on how much water you use at home (brushing your teeth; taking showers; doing dishes) can have a dramatic impact on water conservation, energy use, and your water bill. And drastically reducing the number of times you water your garden and lawn--or not using municipal water at all to do it--could save thousands of gallons of water a year, reduce CO2 emissions, and save you as much as 40 percent on your summertime water bill.
How to: There are several ways you can save thousands of gallons of water and hundreds of dollars a year:
1. Set up a rain barrel: Using
rain barrels to water your lawn not only greatly reduces your municipal water use and the
polluted runoff from your property that winds up in the watershed, it
allows your plants and vegetables to drink up water that hasn't been
chemically treated.
2. Mulch: Adding a two- to three-inch layer of organic mulch in plant beds helps them retain moisture. You can find good, organic mulch at local shops like Mother Earth Gardens in South Minneapolis.
3. Use native plants in your garden: Native plants require less water and care than plants not found naturally in Minnesota's habitat.
4. Water in the morning, if you have to: Mornings are cooler, ensuring less water will be lost to evaporation. Evenings are also better times than afternoons to water; however, the leaves do not have time to dry out, increasing the chances of fungus growth.
5. Use a drip or soaker system: Sprinklers tend to water things like your sidewalk, house, or car instead of the ground. Using a drip or soaker system, especially one set up to a rain barrel, saves on water and increases the amount of water going straight to the roots.
6. Use downspout extensions: A simple roll-out downspout extension allows you to use rain water in places that need it most.
7. Get some hose helpers: No need to drag a running hose around as you water potted plants. Hose accessories such as a water wand (for hanging plants and pots), an extension handle, and a shut-off valve ensure the hose won't pump water into places where it's not needed.
8. Install a drip irrigation system: Drip irrigation (pictured above) targets plants directly by using a series of tubes on a timer to water each plant. They can cost a few hundred dollars to install, but are 90 percent efficient. Installed sprinkler systems are considered 75 to 85 percent efficient.
9. Create a perennial lawn: Lots of Minnesota lawns use grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass, which isn't native to Minnesota and requires lots of water to stay green. Say "no" to lawns that require excessive amounts of water and plant a native, perennial garden instead. Or in spaces that you can't plant a garden, plant native grasses like
big bluestem. These grasses can establish a deeper root system that not only requires less water but can combat weeds.
10. Let it go brown: Just because grass has turned brown doesn't mean it's dead. Grass tends to go dormant--or brown--in the summer months. It will go green again naturally with cooler days.