Every summer, many states in the U.S. experience dry or drought conditions. Typically, homeowners use up to 50% of their household water on their gardens, lawns, and landscapes.

Local municipalities enforce mandatory watering rules to curb this heavy water usage during droughts. Some neighborhoods even fine you for not following local watering restrictions.

In this blog post, you’ll learn about the following:

• What are municipal watering mandates
• How current municipal watering mandates affect homeowners
• Complying with municipal watering mandates benefits you
• 10 hacks for keeping your plants alive during mandatory water restrictions.

What Are Municipal Watering Mandates

If you live in the desert regions of the American Southwest, you’re familiar with municipal watering mandates. These desert states include

• Arizona
• California
• Nevada
• New Mexico
• Texas.

However, water restrictions exist in municipalities throughout the country, not just in the southwestern U.S.

Local and state government officials oversee the water that comes through your plumbing. These folks monitor local lakes, rivers, and aquifers that provide the water you use daily.

When there hasn’t been sufficient rainfall in months, your town’s water supply run low, and officials must ensure there is enough water for everyone living within city limits.

When everyone waters their lawns, washes cars, or cleans driveways with a hose, it threatens the water supply. You don’t need to use excess water for the above.

To address this water waste, officials implement water mandates. These mandates ensure there is enough water for cooking, bathing, and other essential needs that everyone in your municipality needs for survival.

If it’s abnormally dry, officials encourage voluntary water restrictions when there is little or no rain in the forecast. Municipalities enforce mandatory water restrictions when the U.S. Drought Monitor says a region has moved into a moderate drought.

In the article, What Local Water Restrictions Mean for You, GroundGuys.com says that water restrictions occur for three reasons:

• Drought, especially during the summer when there can be very little rain and ongoing heatwaves.
• Water infrastructure problems, such as a water main break.
• Chronic water scarcity due to overpopulation.

How Current Municipal Watering Mandates Affect Homeowners

If you live in an area without chronic drought, you may be new to municipal water mandates. Here’s how water restrictions affect your outdoor water use:

• Limits on watering your lawn
• Warnings or fines when sprinkler heads water hard surfaces
• No washing your car
• Limiting or restricting water for swimming pools and water slides
• Restrictions for spraying off your driveway or sidewalk.

You may also be restricted when you can water your garden, lawn, and landscape by these common scenarios:

• You may be able to water only based on odd/even house numbers. For example, if you live at 123 Main Street, you may only water on Wednesdays and Fridays. Conversely, if you live at 294 Main Street, you can only water on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
• Your entire town or subdivision may only water on specific days of the week, such as on Monday or Saturday.
• You may only be able to water at certain times, such as between 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. or 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

While you may be tempted to thumb your nose at these restrictions, your municipality will enforce these restrictions with warnings and fines.

Complying with Municipal Watering Mandates Benefits You

While you won’t be awarded for following your town’s watering restrictions, you’ll reap other benefits, such as a lower water bill. You also are helping to conserve water, which means there will be plenty of it for everyone in years to come.

However, you don’t have to settle for a dead lawn and landscape. You can learn how to use water while ensuring your garden stays productive and the landscape gets the moisture it needs.

Still, your municipality may restrict homeowners from watering their lawns unless you use a more effective watering system, such as an in-ground sprinkler system.

10 Hacks for Keeping Your Plants Alive During Mandatory Water Restrictions

Did you know your lawn only requires 1” to 1½” of water weekly? You don’t need to water your turfgrass every day.

Also, your cool season lawn can go about four weeks without water. Granted, it will turn brown, but it’s dormant and will green up as soon as there’s regular rainfall again.

Warm season turfgrass can handle the hot sun and some dryness. However, warm season grasses will wilt if they haven’t received moisture after a few weeks.

What is the secret to keeping your lawn and landscapes alive during municipal water restrictions?

Here are 10 hacks to maintain your plants' health during local watering restrictions:

1. Raise your mower height to only take a third off the turf’s top.
2. Mow your lawn in the morning or evening to reduce heat stress.
3. Don’t mow your lawn while it's dry and hot or when your grass is dormant.
4. Invest in sustainable lawn care so your turfgrass can survive municipal watering restrictions.
5. Invest in drought-tolerant plants, such as succulents and native plants.
6. Don’t go overboard with fertilizing your lawn; follow the directions on the fertilizer bag.
7. Plant the right plant at the right place. For example, don’t plant a shade-loving specimen in full sun because it’ll need more water to survive.
8. Apply mulch around your plants (avoid piling it up like a volcano) to retain moisture and keep the soil cool.
9. Get your water sprinkler tuned up to ensure there are no leaks, sprinklers are working at the correct pressure, and adequately watering all your plants.
10. Collect rainwater in rain barrels and reuse water from your shower.

Summary

Municipality officials often put watering restrictions for their city, town, or subdivisions based on water supply and drought.

When city officials enforce municipal watering mandates, you may be instructed to stop watering your lawn, hosing down your driveway, or washing your car. You may only be able to water your lawn and landscape on certain days of the week or at specific times of the day.

You’ll find you’re saving money on water bills when you reduce outdoor water usage.

Other ways to keep your lawn and landscape alive during mandatory water restrictions include letting your lawn go dormant, tuning up your automatic water sprinklers, and using sustainable landscaping.

K-Rain’s Irrigation Products Partner with You to Meet Municipal Watering Restrictions

K-Rain’s Irrigation Products are designed to last, so you have less maintenance for your sprinkler system. We also have drip irrigation and tree bubblers that deliver water to the plants' roots—conserving water while preserving plant health.

Experience K-Rain's Sprinkler System products, transforming your lawn and landscape irrigation for healthy plants. Whether you're a DIY enthusiast or seek professional expertise, our K-Rain products ensure a seamless journey to a healthy lawn and landscape.

Explore our sprinkler system products online or buy your K-Rain products at The Home Depot and Lowe's.

Sources:
DroughtMonitor.unl.edu.
EPA.gov, Outdoor Water Use in the United States.
GroundGuys.com, What Local Water Restrictions Mean for You.
LoveYourLandscape.org, Weathering the Drought: How to Manage Your Yard Sustainably.
SprinklerSupplyStore.com, Water Conservation Guide for Homeowners.