Earth Gauge: Water Well

From 1950 to 2000, population size in the U.S. nearly doubled, and during that same time period, demand for water tripled! The EPA estimates that typical surburban households use about 30 percent of their water for outdoor irrigation. Unfortunately, about half of the water used outdoors is wasted through evaporation on warm days or runoff from overwatering.

Save money and water by switching your irrigation system off when there is rain in the forecast. You can also add a rain sensor to your sprinkler system, which will automatically shut the system off when adequate rain has fallen. It's estimated that weather-based controls, such as rain sensors, can save up to 24 billion gallons of water per year in the U.S. - that's equivalent to 7,000 hoses running continuously for a year!

Thinking of installing a new irrigation system? Consider a drip watering system, which uses up to 50 percent less water than traditional sprinklers, and loses virtually no water through evaporation, wind, or runoff.

(Sources: US EPA. "WaterSense." http://www.epa.gov/watersense/index.htm; Consumer Reports. "Home and Garden: Water Wisely." http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/home-garden/resource-center/lawn-care-5-08/water-wisely/lawn-care-water-wisely.htm)