Need-to-know outdoor water saving tips

South Africa is a water stressed country, and the water resources are under tremendous pressure from a growing population, ongoing development, pollution, wetland destruction, alien invasive plants and the effects of global warming.

Clean your car by filling a bucket with water rather than using a running hose on the lawn.

The only answer to this dilemma lies in changing people’s attitude and thus their behaviour in using water more wisely.

Water Wise shares some tips on how to save water outdoors…

Outdoor washing

1. Sweep the paving with a broom instead of washing it with water.
2. Clean your car by filling a bucket with water rather than using a running hose.
3. Wash your car on the lawn.
4. If you use a car wash, make sure that the water is recycled in their system.

Swimming pool

1. Use a pool cover over your swimming pool to decrease the amount of water that evaporates daily.
2. To minimise water splashing out the pool while swimming, don’t fill your pool too high.
3. Repair any swimming pool leaks so that you don’t have to keep filling the pool.
4. To minimise water splashing out the pool while swimming, don’t fill your pool too high.

Garden

1. Use mulch (i.e. grass, leaves, bar, wood chips, pebbles etc.) to keep the ground moist around the plants.
2. Group the plants in high, medium and low water use zones,  so that they can be watered separately.
3. Grow plants that need less water. Exotic plants often require more than indigenous ones.
4. Keep your lawn a minimum of 2cm long. This encourages healthier roots and protects the lawn better from the hot sun. Less water is needed to keep the lawn growing.
5. Create water basins around trees and shrubs.
6. Use mulch like grass, leaves, bar, wood chips, pebbles etc. to keep the ground moist around the plants.
7. Make large square or rectangular beds so that most of the water goes to the plants, and not to the paths in between.
8. Avoid walking in the beds as this compacts the soil.
9. Aerate your lawn and around trees at least once a year to ensure good water penetration. Earthworms help aerate and fertilise the soil.
10. Turn soil and add compost when planting. This helps the soil hold moisture and produces healthier plants that require less water.
11. Herbs needs less water than vegetables, so plant them in their own bed and water them less frequently.
12. In hot climates, put up shade cloth made from orange or green net vegetable bags.
13. Use berms, swales and channels to direct stormwater and runoff onto lawns or beds.
14. Maintain your garden by mowing, weeding, pruning and irrigating as needed. A well-maintained yard requires less water.

Irrigation

1. Maintain your garden by mowing, weeding, pruning and irrigating as needed. A well-maintained yard requires less water.
2. The best time to water your garden is between 5:00 – 9:00 and 15:00 – 19:00.
3. Don’t overwater your garden: summer 25mm per week; spring/autumn 15mm per week; winter 8mm per week.
4. Attach a water tank to your drainpipe to collect rainwater.
5. Apply water directly to the root zone using micro-irrigation. Drip irrigation is the most water efficient irrigation system.
6. Use a low pressure, water efficient dripper system that keeps the soil loose and friable, and retains its essential elements.
7. Avoid high pressure watering systems as they waste water, compact the soil and wash away both soil and essential elements.
8. Use a sprinkler system with a large droplet size and low spray angle.
9. Switch off all automatic irrigation during rainy weather or install a rain sensor.
10. Select sprinklers that match the water pressure.
11. Water your plants at the roots and water as deeply as possible.
12. Make sure that the irrigation sprays target the plants and not your patio, driveway or the road.
13. Check for leaks in the irrigation system.

Water meter

In your street, there is a main water pipe that has been laid by your municipality. Each house has a connection to this pipe. At the connection between this pipe and your house there is a water meter. The water meter records the amount of water that you use and is normally read on a monthly basis. You are then billed for the monthly water that you use.

1. Check that the meter is working properly. Take a reading and then don’t run water for an hour. Check the meter again. If the meter reading has changed, you may have a leak on your property and it is your responsibility to fix it.
2. Record your monthly water usage and make graphs. If there are sudden changes, you may have a leak in your pipes.
3. Check your bill against your readings.
4. Install a pressure-reducing valve that reduces high water pressure in your taps, pipes or hoses and reduces the amount of water being released.
5. Report any leaks from the main water pipe to your municipality.