Cover Photo
by Karen
Gnepper
Photography
Upper Trinity
Regional Water District is encouraging local residents to pledge to water
their yards no more than two days a week and not during the heat of the
day. By pledging to water less frequently,
residents living in Upper Trinity’s service area can receive water savings
rewards and landscape-related giveaways. Upper Trinity provides drinking
water to parts of Denton and Collin Counties.
To take the pledge, visit WaterLessYall.com
and fill out the pledge form. Qualified residents will receive free swag and
be entered into weekly drawings for a free irrigation evaluation (valued at
$125). Additionally, in October, three grand prize winners will be randomly
selected to receive both a free professional landscape consultation and a
$500 gift card for plants to Rooted In, a local nursery and garden center.
The website also offers landscape classes, weekly watering tips, and hands-on
information about how to reduce outdoor watering.
The new, mandatory two-day-per-week watering
schedule is in place to reduce water usage and help protect the water
treatment infrastructure for this fast-growing region, while saving residents
money on water bills. Upper Trinity recommends discontinuing outdoor
irrigation during the winter.
“It’s our job to make sure every time you
turn on your tap, water comes out,” said Larry Patterson, Upper Trinity’s
executive director. “The steady growth in North Texas and our hotter, drier
summers make it important to use only the water our yards actually
need.”
More than half the water used in North Texas
during the summer is for outdoor watering, which amounts to billions of
gallons applied to yards annually. Fortunately, it doesn’t take much water
for your yard to thrive. Grass and native plants are Texas tough. In fact, if
watered efficiently, plants thrive with less frequent
watering.
Plants watered up to twice a week develop
deeper and healthier root systems. This results in better overall plant
health, which increases plant resilience during extreme temperatures (hot or
cold). Frequent watering can weaken a plant by encouraging shallow root
growth, making it harder to survive heat.
“Cycle and
Soak” for a Healthier Lawn
When you’re watering two days a week, make
them count by watering the right way. Water between 6 PM and 10 AM to avoid
the heat of the day and water loss. The “cycle and soak” method also helps
water go deeper into the roots: Water a couple of short cycles of 5-6 minutes
each, and repeat in an hour. Residents can still water plants and
flower/garden beds by hand more frequently when needed.
Go
Native
Incorporating Texas native and
drought-tolerant plants in your landscape saves water. These plants thrive in
local growing conditions, often requiring less water than exotic or
water-demanding species. Adopting a two-day-per-week watering regimen
complements the needs of native and drought-tolerant plants, allowing them to
flourish without excessive irrigation. You can find a native plants list on
the Native Plant Society of Texas website at NPSOT.org. Most
garden centers have designated sections for native and low-water plants.
Texas Smartscape provides water efficient landscape designs residents can use
(TXSmartscape.com).
Applying mulch to newly planted and existing
garden beds and trees retains soil moisture, regulates soil temperature, and
suppresses weeds. This approach, combined with a two-day-per-week watering
schedule, saves water and promotes healthier plants.
More
Efficient Irrigation
The type and condition of your sprinkler
system plays a significant role in how much water your landscape absorbs.
It’s important to check sprinkler heads each spring to ensure they are in
good working condition for summer. Irrigation evaluations, performed by a
licensed irrigator, provide expert advice on proper watering schedules. An
irrigator can also identify worn out or broken heads and replacement heads to
deliver water more effectively.
You can also distribute water more evenly by
upgrading your irrigation system to multi-stream heads in place of
traditional, fixed-spray nozzles. The rotational movement applies water at a
slower rate, which reduces evaporation, resulting in less misting and runoff,
giving the soil more time to absorb it. Drip irrigation systems are ideal for
flower beds, younger trees, and foundation watering. This form of irrigation
uses tubing with emitters in garden beds or next to trees. The emitters drip
water slowly at the root zone, reducing weed growth and preventing plant
diseases by minimizing contact with leaves, stems and fruit.
Smart controllers do the thinking for you by
automatically operating your irrigation system and adjusting it based on
weather and the time of year. The watering schedule changes to align with
actual site conditions. You can also sign up for weekly emails from Texas
A&M AgriLife’s WaterMyYard program (WaterMyYard.org)
to take the guesswork out of knowing when and how much to water. When rain is
forecasted, it’s best to shut off sprinklers. Inserting a screwdriver in the
soil will also tell you if it’s time to water. If it inserts easily, keep the
sprinklers off.
Adopting a two-day-per-week watering schedule
for our yards ensures plant health and vitality. It also conserves limited
water supplies and reduces water bills. We can strike a balance between plant
care and responsible water use to ensure we have water today and for
generations to come. So, pledge to water less, y’all!
About Upper
Trinity
Upper Trinity Regional Water District,
headquartered in Lewisville, Texas, provides drinking water to 29 cities and
communities in Denton and Collin Counties. Established in 1989, Upper Trinity
treats water from various sources, including Jim Chapman, Lewisville, and Ray
Roberts Lakes, to meet the needs of its growing service area.
