Winter’s chill is making its way into Southern Nevada, which means it’s time to let your irrigation clock cool off while complying with the community’s mandatory seasonal watering schedule.
In effect Nov. 1 through Feb. 28, the winter watering restrictions limit both turf and drip irrigation to one day per week based on each property’s address; find your assigned watering day at snwa.com. Sunday watering is prohibited year-round.
Watering on days other than your assigned watering day or allowing water to spray or flow off your property is considered water waste and may result in a water-waste fee. Water-waste fees start as high as $80 for the first violation and double with each subsequent violation.
To avoid wasteful runoff and help the soil absorb more water, irrigate grass no more than 12 minutes per watering day in three cycles of four minutes. Run each four-minute cycle one hour apart. Also, watering during the mid-morning hours helps avoid freezing and prevents ice from forming on lawns and sidewalks. Drip irrigation should operate once every seven to 14 days, as trees and plants need less water than grass.
The winter restrictions are taking on added significance this year since the federal government has declared a water shortage on the Colorado River. The shortage declaration reduces the amount of water Southern Nevada can draw from Lake Mead — the source of 90 percent of our water — by 7 billion gallons beginning Jan. 1. If every property owner in Southern Nevada changed their watering clock each season, the community could save more water than is being cut under shortage conditions.
For more information on how to conserve water, including SNWA conservation programs, seasonal watering restrictions, preventing and reporting water waste, and winter landscape care tips, visit snwa.com.
Members of the editorial and news staff of the Las Vegas Review-Journal were not involved in the creation of this content.
