Saving Water While Watering Lawns is Most Important
Summer has begun, and the Hicksville Water District (HWD) would like to remind residents that they play a crucial role in helping their community conserve water during these next few months. Water use rises exponentially from June through September in comparison to the rest of the year. While there are a variety of reasons one might use more water over the summer, the biggest reason for this increase, by far, is lawn watering.
“We encourage water conservation all year, but there is no more important time to conserve than during the summer,” said HWD Chairman Karl Schweitzer. “Every one of us contributes to our community’s water use, which also means that we can all make a difference when we conserve. Luckily, just making a few small changes in our habits can have a tremendous impact on your water use, and we hope our residents join us in implementing these techniques this summer.”
The best way to conserve water during the summer is by replacing their standard irrigation timer with a smart irrigation controller. These devices use Wi-Fi signals to connect to local weather forecasts and other rain sensing technology to determine exactly how much water your lawn needs at any moment of time without overwatering. While the water savings they provide ultimately result in smart controllers paying for themselves in a year or two, the HWD is offering rebates of up to $150 to residents who make the switch.
Residents should be sure to follow Nassau County’s Odd/Even Lawn Watering Schedule, which indicates that homes and businesses with odd-numbered addresses may only water on odd-numbered days. Homes and businesses with even-numbered addresses, as well as those without street numbers, may only water on even-numbered calendar days. Additionally, all watering is prohibited from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., as these are peak evaporation times.
This year, the HWD has created a map to break the District into varying irrigation zones. This optional coordination will prevent the District’s infrastructure from becoming overwhelmed during peak times, as it can grow strained if too many irrigation systems are running at the same time. Residents should note that following this map is not mandatory and its guidelines are meant to ensure that water pressure remains stable in homes and local fire hydrants throughout the spring and summer. These zones do not apply to residents who manually irrigate their lawns: only those who can set timers on their automatic irrigation systems.
The HWD asks that residents coordinate their water times with the zone in which their property lies:
- Zone 1 Southwest: 9 pm to 11 pm –West of Jerusalem Ave and south of Old Country Road
- Zone 2 Northeast: 11 pm to 1 am – East of Broadway and north of Old Country Road
- Zone 3 Northwest: 1 am to 3 am – West of Broadway and north of Old Country Road
- Zone 4 Southeast: 3 am to 5 am – East of Jerusalem Ave and south of Old Country Road
For more tips on how you can conserve water this summer, visit www.hicksvillewater.org/conservation-and-education.
To apply for the District’s Smart Controller Rebate Program, visit www.hicksvillewater.org/forms-and-policies.
