Aquarion Water Company announced a water conservation program that includes a mandatory sprinkler irrigation schedule for its customers in East Granby, Granby and Simsbury.
The schedule will help to conserve water supplies by reducing overwatering of lawns and gardens through a maximum two days per week schedule. The purpose of this conservation program is to ensure that local water supplies remain sufficient for critical needs such as human consumption and fire protection.
A similar watering schedule was launched in southwestern Connecticut in 2017, and has contributed to more than two billion gallons of water being saved. These conservation efforts have also helped towns in southwestern Connecticut avoid a complete ban on outdoor water use during dry summer months. Through customer adoption of the irrigation schedule, Aquarion expects to save millions of gallons of water this year.
Research shows lawns and gardens can thrive on reduced watering. By encouraging roots to grow deeper into the soil, they are able to absorb more moisture and nutrients, even during dry spells. Customers may continue using drip irrigation, soaker hoses and hand-held watering at any time.
Homes and businesses with automatic sprinkler irrigation systems often use large volumes of water—about 40 percent more than properties without the systems. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other experts identify the overuse of outdoor irrigation as a major source of strain on local water supplies while providing no benefit to lawns and gardens.
Aquarion’s permanent, twice-weekly irrigation schedule listed below began on April 1, 2021. Customers with even-numbered street addresses may water lawns on Sundays and Wednesday, between 12:01–10 a.m., or between 6 p.m.–midnight. Customers with odd-numbered street addresses may water lawns on Saturdays and Tuesdays, between 12:01–10 a.m., or between 6 p.m.–midnight. Customers that have no street address may water lawns on Sundays and Wednesdays, between 12:01–10 a.m., or between 6 p.m.–midnight.
More information about the new, mandatory irrigation schedule, and information about landscaping and gardening with less water is available at aquarionwater.com/watering