GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. - Governor Dayton has declared July 'Smart Irrigation Month' so we turned to Brian Davis of the Met Council to find out more. Here is some of the information that Brian shared with us:
These strategies can help you become more water efficient and improve landscape health:
1. Turn off the controller! Grow those grass roots deep by turning off your irrigation controller for a week after a rainfall. Deeper roots make for a stronger lawn.
2. Install WaterSense-labeled weather-based irrigation controllers, a type of "smart" irrigation control technology that uses local weather data to determine when and how much to water. WaterSense labeled irrigation controllers can save you water, time, and money when compared to standard models.
3. Interested in an evaluation of your irrigation system? Contact Brian Davis at the Metropolitan Council for more information on this opportunity, part of our Landscape Irrigation Efficiency Project with the University of Minnesota Turfgrass Management Group: brian.davis@metc.state.mn.us
4. Help us improve lawn irrigation systems in the Twin Cities metro area by completing this short survey from the University of Minnesota Turfgrass Management Group: Residential Irrigation Survey
5. If you live in one of the nineteen metro area communities participating in the Metropolitan Council Water Efficiency Grant Program, you may qualify for a rebate on irrigation controllers, audits or sprinkler heads: Brooklyn Park, Chanhassen, Circle Pines, Cottage Grove, Eagan, Eden Prairie, Forest Lake, Fridley, Hugo, Mahtomedi, New Brighton, Newport, Plymouth, Rosemount, Shakopee, Victoria, White Bear Lake, White Bear Township, Woodbury
Contact Brian Davis for more information: http://brian.davis@metc.state.mn.usbrian.davis@metc.state.mn.us
6. Find more water efficiency tips and tools at the Metropolitan Council Water Conservation Toolbox.
Sources: EPA WaterSense, University of Minnesota Extension-Turfgrass Management, Metropolitan Council Environmental Services – Water Supply Planning