Time for irrigation system spruce-up

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – It’s been a long winter for your yard. While your plants go dormant to cope with the colder weather, your sprinkler system can feel the effects of winter. Cracks in the pipes can lead to costly leaks, and damaged sprinkler heads can waste water and money.

Now is the perfect time to spruce up your irrigation system before you start watering. To get started, follow these four simple steps—inspect, connect, direct, and select:

Inspect - Check your system for clogged, broken, or missing sprinkler heads. Evaluate spray patterns for even water pressure. Are sprinklers of similar make and model used in each zone? Do all sprinklers within a zone have the same flow rate? If you’re not the do-it-yourself type, go with a pro—hire an irrigation professional.

Connect - Examine points where the sprinkler heads connect to pipes/hoses. If water is pooling in your landscape or you have a large wet or dry area, you could have a leak in your system. A leak as small as the tip of a ballpoint pen can waste around 6,300 gallons of water per month!

Direct - Are you watering the driveway, house, or sidewalk instead of your yard? Are plants or other objects blocking the spray pattern? Redirect sprinklers to apply water only to your lawn or prized plants.

Select - An improperly scheduled irrigation controller can waste a lot of water and money. Update your system’s watering schedule monthly or select a weather-based smart controller to take the guesswork out of scheduling.

Make sure your irrigation clock is set to run on the right days. For South Tahoe Public Utility District water customers, even-numbered street addresses water Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Odd-numbered street addresses water on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. New this year, drip and other low-flow systems must water only on designated irrigation days. Need to water daily to establish new sod or freshly applied seed? No problem, apply for an irrigation days exemption at stpud.watersmart.com.

If you want some help inspecting, troubleshooting, scheduling, and/or selecting upgrades for your irrigation system, contact South Tahoe Public Utility District for a FREE Water Wise Landscape Consultation. For more info or to sign up, call (530) 544-6474 or visit stpud.watersmart.com.