Conservation

Conservation of the water resource makes sense. The District uses the Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer as its sole water source. The aquifer we rely on is productive and stable; however, all resources have their limit. For that reason we all need to use water wisely. The District’s production of water for our customers increases dramatically during the summer. This increase is due to watering lawns, gardens, landscape and irrigation of crops. It has become necessary for the District to start an Odd/Even Outdoor Watering Schedule. The Odd/Even Watering Schedule will be as follows

• Street addresses ending with an odd number may water on odd dates of the month.
• Street addresses ending with an even number may water on even dates of the month.
• New laws; sod, seed or hydro-seed may be watered daily until established:

Alternating our outdoor water days helps conserve valuable water resources and assists the District in meeting peak summer demands. The odd/even schedule will allow
customers to maintain landscaping to the level to which they are accustomed, while
reducing peak seasonal demands on the water distribution system.

The District has taken the approach of education when it comes to water use. Following the guidelines provided below will help in conservation and may reduce the risk of excess water charges.

As the population increases, not only in our district but throughout the region, wise use will become more and more important. To this end we are providing a few suggestions to help conserve water.

WHEN TO WATERWatering in the morning or evening is most efficient. Watering in the heat of the day can cause evaporation rates of 50% or greater, that means half of the water you pay for is going into the sky. Watering during windy periods has the same effect.

HOW MUCH TO WATER
Many people over water lawns and landscape. Too much water will promote shallow root growth and may increase plant diseases. This will result in a weak plant, which can allow increased weeds and often results in application of more fertilizer and herbicides. Those end up in our aquifer. Established lawns should be able to sustain watering once every few days, and no lawn except a newly planted one, needs watering more than once per day. One recommended application rate is 1” per week, including rain water. However, this may result in excess water charges.

HOW TO WATER
Water the lawn and landscape. Don’t water the drive, street and house, they won’t grow. Learn how to read and set your automatic sprinkler timer. By reducing the time, or the frequency of watering you may be able to reduce the amount of water without affecting the quality of the landscape. Make small changes over time.

TYPE OF LANDSCAPE
Consider low water use landscapes along with smaller lawn areas and trees. Trees
provide shade which help cool your home, reducing power consumption, shade the lawn and landscape reducing the amount of water necessary. Ground cover can offer a nice alternative to lawn grasses in landscapes. Mechanical weed blocks are also a good method where barks, gravels, or other waterless decorative ground cover will be used.

MAINTAINING YOUR LANDSCAPE
Allowing lawn grasses to grow longer during the summer reduce the amount of water needed due to additional shading of the soils. We recognize some homeowner
associations have determined an acceptable lawn length within a subdivision, and many people have their own ideas on proper lawn length. Personal preferences aside, longer lawns do provide more shade and reduce water needed during the heat of the summer.

The District recognizes the importance of conservation of the aquifer and encourages wise and necessary use by its members. Please help us in this by not dumping
contaminants on the ground and using the water wisely.

If you have any questions please call us at the number listed at the top of the website or contact us using the contact from.