Oct. 29, 2020

When we change the clocks, it’s also time to “fall back” to no more than one day per week of lawn and landscape irrigation. The St. Johns River Water Management District is again promoting our Water Less outdoor water conservation campaign to provide timely reminders and tips for saving water year-round as part of our core mission of water supply.

Our Water Less campaign complements the watering restrictions the District has long had in place that help us all save water outdoors by establishing certain days and times for irrigation. It’s important to know your watering day but also know that you may not need to water at all.

Florida boasts sunny skies and mostly mild temperatures in the fall, so it could surprise some that research shows our lawns and landscapes need less water to be healthy during Florida’s cooler fall and winter months. And it’s easy to save water outdoors. Remember, too, to water only if your lawn shows signs that water is needed.

Public water supply is the largest category of water use in the District’s 18-county region — about 565.5 million gallons of water a day. Most of this water is for residential water use, and many people don’t realize that more than half of total residential water use is used outdoors if the home has an automatic irrigation system. Efficient irrigation systems that are scheduled correctly can save up to half of that outdoor water use.

We are pleased by feedback showing the many positive, measurable changes people in our region are making after receiving ideas on how to improve outdoor watering efficiency at home. To expand on our work with utilities, community association managers, homeowners’ associations and local governments, we’ve added downloadable materials and videos to our website so others can help share the Water Less message: You can save water and still love your lawn! Working together, we can all make a difference in the long-term resiliency of our water supply.

Visit our campaign website, WaterLessFlorida.com, to learn more.