As warm summer weather starts to
kick in, so does the increase in outdoor water use. To reduce demand on our
drinking water for non-drinking water uses, the City of Bellingham reminds
water customers of the many ways you can save your time, your money, and our
drinking water:
- Let your lawn get a tan, too! Lawns around our
area go dormant with the heat and sunshine. If you don't use your
lawn, consider not watering this summer and letting it return to its
green color in the fall. - Install a rainwater harvesting system.
Typically, our area gets about 5″ of rain from May to September. If
you have a 1,000 square-foot roof surface to collect rainfall, you
could potentially collect and store up to 3,000 gallons of FREE
rainwater for outdoor use. - Mulch, mulch, mulch. Mulch holds water in
the soil, moderates soil temperature, and limits weed growth. It's
easy and effective. - Install a drip irrigation system. These are
water efficient, low cost, easy to install, and easy to use. - Water in the morning between 7-10 a.m. (and
use your new free hose timer!). This will reduce evaporation loss when
watering at other times of the day, and help minimize disease potential. - Water 1-inch per week or less. Watering less
frequently allows your lawn to grow deeper roots that are better able to
withstand dry weather and requires less maintenance. - Follow the Voluntary Outdoor Watering Schedule.
From June 1 to September 15, the City of Bellingham and other Whatcom
Water Alliance members request residents with odd-numbered street
addresses to limit outdoor watering to Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
Residents with even-numbered street addresses water on Tuesdays,
Thursdays and Saturdays. Mondays are non-watering days to allow
reservoirs to recharge after the weekend.
