50% of the water you use to water your landscape is effective, while the other 50% goes to waste because of overwatering, evaporation, wind, having an improper landscaping system design and using an inadequate irrigation method.
50% of wasted residential outdoor water accounts for 8 billion gallons of water throughout the U.S. every day.
8 billion gallons of water equals:
61,488 golf courses in the U.S.,
160,000,000 bathtubs of water,
80,000 households,
364 Bellagio fountains (Bellagio 8.5-acre lake holds 22,000,000 gallons of water)
While we may take water for granted in some states, and even countries, places like California, Nevada and Arizona are struggling to get the water they need.
Ground Zero Landscape and Construction uses sustainable land management practices on every Arizona property that we install optimizing irrigation systems.
Conserving water is important to us because we understand how an inadequate landscape design can contribute to the massive amount of wasted water throughout our country.
Ground Zero strives to lower the 8 billion gallons of wasted water per day through our sustainable landscaping practices that we use on every Phoenix property that we work on.
Water Conservations Ways
Water conservation is a hot topic through Phoenix’s landscaping industry.
Here’s the checklist that we use to conserve water at Ground Zero during our landscaping practices:
Controller Programs
Controller programs are adjusted monthly or as ET dictates,
Ensure that the controller menus are accurate in the controller program,
Check and replace back-up battery,
Test-run (wet-run) system on a regular schedule to check for leaks, misdirection and other problems.
Values/Value Boxes
Valve boxes and 6” boxes are cleaned out for access to irrigation components,
Low valve boxes are raised to 2” above soil grade,
Broken or missing valve boxes and lids are replaced, if needed,
Irrigation components in the ground are contained in the valve boxes,
Leaking valves are repaired,
Ball valves and gate valves are exercised 4 times per year.
Sprinklers
Broken sprinkler heads are replaced immediately,
Rotors and sprays are not mixed on a valve,
Sprinklers on a valve have matched precipitation rates,
Irrigation schedule is compatible with mowing schedule for dry turf on mow days,
Sprinklers are checked and adjusted after mowing.
Drip Irrigation System
Spaghetti tubing buried in soil and no running above ground,
Poly lines are buried in soil,
Emitters without plants plugged (unless they are a water source for another plant/tree),
Drip system checked (filters cleaned, lines flushed out at end caps),
Visits for checking the drip system are scheduled for the day after a run to check watering patterns/depths,
Pressure compensating drip emitters are used,
End caps are at the end of runs for easy flush.
If you’re looking to conserve water even better, Ground Zero recommends these options:
Reusing/capturing rainwater – we can install a system to capture your rainwater or even incorporate it into your irrigation system.
Only use sprinklers in the morning to avoid evaporation.
Use compost when planting and cover with mulch afterwards to prevent evaporation.
Consider drought-resistant plants that require little to no watering.
Plant your plants in the spring instead of the summer to avoid overwatering your plants in the summer heat.
Water Conservation in Landscaping
At Ground Zero, it’s extremely important for us to conserve water as much as possible because our industry requires a lot of water use.
Our landscaping experts can spruce up your AZ yard, lawn or garden to ensure that your landscape design is as water conservative as possible.
Whether you’d like to try one, or all of our water conservation landscaping tips, Ground Zero has you and your landscape covered.
Contact us on our website for any inquiries, questions or comments!