Fairfield Homes Under Mandatory Sprinkler Irrigation Schedule

FAIRFIELD, CT — Aquarion Water Company's 2022 sprinkler irrigation season has begun, and this year Fairfield will be under a mandatory irrigation schedule.

Mandatory sprinkler irrigation schedules are designed to conserve water by reducing the overwatering of lawns and gardens.

Homes and businesses with automatic sprinkler systems often use around 40 percent more water than properties without them, officials said.

Per Aquarion's schedule, property owners can water their lawns twice a week, based on the last number of their address — but they can water by hand or use drip irrigation or soaker hoses at any time.

"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," officials from Aquarion Water Company said in a news release.

Research has shown that lawns and gardens can even benefit from reduced watering — it allows roots to grow deeper into the soil, which lets them absorb more moisture and nutrients, the company said.

Since the conservation schedule was launched in 2017, it has contributed to more than 2 billion gallons of water being saved, which officials said has "helped towns avoid a complete ban on outdoor water use during dry summer months."

In addition to Fairfield, the towns of Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, Newtown, Stamford and Westport will also have mandatory irrigation systems.

Aquarion Water Company's 2022 Schedule:

• Addresses that end in an even number: Water on Sunday and Wednesday, 12:01 a.m.-10 a.m. or 6 p.m.-midnight
• Addresses that end in an odd number: Water on Saturday and Tuesday, 12:01 a.m.-10 a.m. or 6 p.m.-midnight
• Properties with no address number: Water on Sunday and Wednesday, 12:01 a.m.-10 a.m. or 6 p.m.-midnight