Question

Many people have done a reasonably good job conserving water, primarily by turning off their landscape irrigation and allowing their yards to dry up; others have not.

1. Your neighbor wants to conserve water, but does not want to stop watering altogether. They do want to try and keep their landscape green and healthy. What advice / suggestions would you offer your neighbor?

2. 2017 Update: With all of the rain we had the winter of 2017, and the snow pack at almost 180% of normal, do you think that the drought is over and we can go back to our normal water usage, or do you believe that this will be temporary, and we should continue to practice water efficiency and water conservation?

3. 2020 Update: How might the winter of 2019/2020 change your answer for question #2 above?

Answer 1

1. There are various kinds of irrigation methods available which uses water sparingly. I would advice use of such systems. They can also install a underground rain water harvesting mechanism. This will lead to water conservation as well. Moreover if possible, they should also maintain good soil porosity so that the underground water system naturally replenishes during rains and snowfalls.

2. Water efficiency should be a priority and not an emergency situation. With the current situations worldwide, sustainable development urges us to be efficient while using all the natural resources. Other than that, there are many regions worldwide which do not have access to these resources. In case we continue to sustain our resources, we might make it available to others in future.

3. The winters of 2019/2020 do not change the answer as the context might have changed but the solution does not. Conserving water will always be a priority, as it is one of the life sustaining forces,