• Be sure to check the watering schedule for the right time and day to water for your address.
  • Thoroughly check your system each spring when you first turn it on and repair any leaks as soon as possible.
  • Check your controller settings to avoid excessive watering.
    • Start with low times and add additional time if areas of stress appear in your yard.
    • Water during the early morning hours when temperatures and wind speed are lowest to reduce evaporation and waste.
    • Even in the hottest months, your lawn needs no more than one inch of water weekly. Don't forget to take rainfall into account.
    • Cooler temperatures in spring and fall let you water less often- once every two weeks compared to once a week in summer.
    • Don't forget to turn your system off for the winter.
  • Adjust sprinklers so that only your lawn is being watered.
    • Realign heads that spray too high in the air, onto pavement or structures, or into tall grass or shrubs.
    • After mowing, make sure sprinkler heads haven’t been broken or knocked out of alignment.
  • Use drip irrigation for bedded plants, shrubs, and trees to apply water directly to the roots where it’s needed.
  • Schedule a free irrigation system evaluation from Austin Water (for customers using 20,000 gallons in two consecutive months or 25,000 gallons in one month of the current irrigation season) or do a self-audit of your system.
  • Rebates may be available for improving your irrigation system's water-efficiency.