Politics & Government
Water: Making Sure We Have Enough For Whole Summer
Despite the heat, we've been pretty lucky this year, water-wise. Here's how to keep that luck going.
Let's face it: we want water when we want water! Don't tell us we can't have it. Well, the good news is, we have water, and right now anyway, it's in plentiful supply, even after last week's brutal heat.
That's because we've had lots of rain. Because of that, our lawns have stayed green. That's key, according to Tim Cranston of the NK Water Dept.
"The real trigger for [lots of water use] is people’s lawns going brown," said Cranston. "It’s that sustained period of time … where it affects people’s landscaping."
North Kingstown depends on 11 ground wells for all its water, which makes the town a little more vulnerable to water shortages.
The NK Water Department has some simple suggestions (and laws) to cut down on water use.
Sweep sidewalks and driveways, hosing them down not only wastes water, it may wash auto-related contaminants into your lawn or garden.
Water your lawn sparingly and wisely. Position sprinklers so you are, in fact, watering the grass not the street. Water early in the day or early in the evening to minimize evaporation.
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Avoid the tendency to over water, you only set up your lawn for failure. Over watering inhibits root development and will actually contribute to lawn failure should you miss a day or two. Remember, according to landscape and turf professional organizations, as well as our own University of Rhode Island, lawns do best with one inch of water delivered appropriately on a once per week schedule. Check out the URICE Healthy Landscapes website for additional information.
Use moisture-retaining mulches in your gardens and around your landscaped areas.
Find out what's happening in North Kingstownfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
When re-landscaping choose drought tolerant plantings.
If you have an automatic sprinkler system, remember to program it to both reflect the Town’s twice per week watering restrictions (visit www.northkingstown.org for details) and the specific conditions of your lawn. Check out the Irrigation Association website (www.irrigation.org) for information on rain gauge and moisture sensor technology. Lets all embrace Smart Irrigation practices!
Those “old-timers” knew what they were doing. Try an old-fashioned rain barrel under your down spouts. The collected water can be used to water gardens.
If you have a pool, buy a solar cover. Not only will your water be warmer, you will minimize evaporation and have to refill it less often.
Turn off the hose when soaping up the car during a wash.
Don’t get in the habit of leaving your outside faucet on and controlling flow with your hose nozzle. A hose leak or blowout overnight or while you are away will cost you hundreds of gallons and may flood your basement.
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