Maintaining a Healthy Landscape as Drought Worsens

Drought conditions continue to deepen in Colorado with 11 percent of the state, all in northwest Colorado, characterized as extreme. Drought intensity varies from dry to extreme throughout the entire state and Eagle County is designated as being in a severe drought. Eagle River Water and Sanitation District encourages community members to lessen the impact of drought by efficiently using water, especially in outdoor areas. To maintain a healthy landscape:

Water deeply and less frequently to encourage a deep root system

A healthy landscape should tolerate watering every 3-5 days

Ensure that your irrigation system is operating well

Turn your irrigation controller from automatic to “manual” and learn to operate it when weather conditions call for watering, rather than on a set schedule

Water when you leave footprints in the lawn after walking on it

Raise your mowing height

Transplants do better when water is withheld for a few days to drought harden them before the move

Water early in the morning or late in the evening to minimize losing water to evaporation

Eagle River Water and Sanitation District says water available for irrigation and other outdoor uses may be less than normal this year due to this winter’s record low snowpack and ongoing warmer and drier than normal conditions. March 2012 was the driest on record in Colorado and March through May was the warmest on record. Currently, normal year-round Water Use Regulations apply, which allow outdoor water use up to three days per week, before 10 am or after 4 pm.

For complete Water Use Regulation information, go to http://www.erwsd.org/wise-use or contact ERWSD Customer Service at 970-477-5451.