MVD Declares Water Emergency

[pumbaa]

Methinks some people are not reading the updated restrictions closely enough. I was out about 7:00pm last night and saw several people watering their lawns (but all on the even sides of the streets). I think they are seeing the 5 - 8 on the signs, and not looking at the "AM" part. I'm guessing part of the reason for making it AM is that not everyone is going to bother dragging out the sprinkler first thing in the morning, so usage will still stay lower. Folks with in-ground systems should be able to set them for that time pretty easily.

[andysinnh]

Same observation here - people are "assuming" 5-8 pm without reading the details - several in our neighborhood were doing that. Personally, that 3 hour window before most even wake up is tough to do, especially if your outside water use is washing a car. I can understand between 9 and 5 is the worst time - but maybe allowing at both ends (like during the normal water bans) would allow most folks to do what they need to do while still conserving water? Just a suggestion...

[Kathy]

I always understood that it was better to water lawns in the evening as the water has a better chance to be absorbed into the ground; whereas, if watering in the morning, there is a chance for the water to evaporate due to the heat of the day.

[andysinnh]

I always understood that it was better to water lawns in the evening as the water has a better chance to be absorbed into the ground; whereas, if watering in the morning, there is a chance for the water to evaporate due to the heat of the day.

Part of the problem with watering in the evening is that you risk mold and fungus buildup over the night with wet soil on the surface, whereas with morning watering, if the water has soaked in before the sun gets higher, it has the same effect in terms of "soak" as watering in the evening - and the top layer of soil can't grow the mold/fungus/etc as easily. But I'm sure there are conflicting views

[Kathy]

from american-lawns.com:

Water early in the day if possible.
Given a choice, water early in the day when lawns are normally wet from dew. Avoid midday watering due to excessive evaporation, and at night due to potential increased chances of some diseases gaining a foothold. The exception to this guide is when you are in extremely hot weather and nighttime temperatures don't go below 68 degrees. Then it is better to water in the late afternoon or early evening, providing you don't have watering-time restrictions. Early or late in the day reduces the amount of evaporation that takes place during the very hot day, allowing more water to reach the root zone.

Can't wait to tell hubby might be better to water in the morning. See, you can learn something new every day.