March 5, 2020

Spring officially begins March 20 and with a bit of nicer weather lately, many of us are already spending time outdoors tending to lawns and gardens. As the St. Johns River Water Management District continues our year-long “Water Less” campaign, we are offering information to help you take control of your sprinkler system to save water and dollars.

Our campaign focuses on water-conserving strategies to help curb outdoor water use while still maintaining a healthy landscape. Rainfall is frequently sufficient, but if you irrigate your lawn and landscape, you can reduce the amount of water you use with a well-designed irrigation system and regular maintenance. That’s why this next phase of the campaign focuses on “Did you set it and forget it?”

With the change on March 8 to daylight saving time, why not inspect your automatic sprinkler system when you also change the clocks? To make sure you don’t just set your irrigation timer and forget it, we’re offering a few tips:

• Check timing devices regularly to make sure they are operating properly.
• Ensure your system is set to follow watering restrictions, if you need to water at all.
• Follow Florida law, which requires that all automatic sprinkler systems installed after May 1991 have a functioning rain sensor shut-off switch which senses when a preset amount of rain has fallen.
• Install the most water efficient spray heads designed for different uses (turf areas, planting beds, etc.).
• Fix any broken or misdirected sprinkler heads.
• Check that water is only spraying on the landscape.
• Look for leaks and clogs.

We have more tips on our website, so visit WaterLessFlorida.com today. Thank you for doing your part to protect Florida’s precious water resources.