New website helps you water smarter

By Jennifer Nations, Water Resource Coordinator

Have you ever wondered when you should water and for how long? Just how much water does your lawn really need, anyway?

Not long ago, answers to those questions were just guesswork.

Thanks to the innovative new Brazos Valley Water Smart website, those days are gone for good. Now you can receive free weekly email alerts to help you decide whether your lawn needs water that week or not – and that means a healthier lawn and a leaner water bill.

Based on weather stations and rainfall data collected across Brazos County, the weekly recommendations are tailored specifically to your neighborhood, which helps you know when to water and when to turn your irrigation controller off.

Not all sprinkler heads are alike and figuring out how long to run them can be confusing. But the weekly email makes it easy with recommendations for each type of heads.

Brazos Valley Water Smart was developed through a partnership by the Brazos Valley Groundwater Conservation District, City of College Station, City of Bryan, Wickson Creek Special Utility District, Wellborn Special Utility District and Texas A&M Agrilife Research.

Irrigation Checkups

According to EPA’s WaterSense, homes with automatic irrigation systems use about 50 percent more water outdoors than those without – even more if they have leaks, are programmed incorrectly, or have misdirected sprinkler heads. A free landscape irrigation checkup from College Station Water Services will show you how to check your system for broken or missing sprinkler heads and find leaks. We also provide suggested watering schedules.

Since 2010, more than 450 of our customers have used landscape irrigation checkups to better manage their irrigation system and conserve our limited groundwater resources. A checkup typically takes less than 45 minutes, and you get a written report and suggested irrigation schedule.

While the inspectors won’t make repairs or perform landscape maintenance, their reports can be handy if you need to call a licensed irrigator to fix the problem.

To schedule a free checkup, call 979-764-6223 or email me at jnations@cstx.gov.

About Jennifer Nations: Jennifer has been the City of College Station’s water resource coordinator for more than 15 years after serving two years as BVSWMA’s environmental compliance officer. She is also chair of the Water Conservation and Reuse Division for the Texas Section of the American Water Works Association. Originally from Fremont, Calif., Jennifer earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental & resource science from UC-Davis in 1995 and is pursuing a master’s degree in water management & hydrologic science from Texas A&M.

Related Blogs:

• Are you staying within your water budget? (July 9, 2014)
• 1 trillion reasons why every drop counts (March 19, 2013)
• Keep calm and save the rain! (Feb. 14, 2013)
• Valuable tip by water chick opens resident’s eyes (Oct. 22, 2012)
• Are you smarter than your irrigation system? (July 10, 2012)
• To conserve or not to conserve? (July 6, 2011)