Each year, approximately one half of the water used by a single-family home is for outdoor irrigation. You can help reduce your monthly bill by checking your irrigation system throughout the season to ensure no leaks have developed and sprinkler heads are properly adjusted. As summer moves toward autumn and temperatures begin to cool, you can also adjust your sprinkler zone times to reduce overwatering. Recommended watering times throughout the year are:
| Watering Months | Minutes to water per zone (for lawns, based on three days per week*) | |||
Fixed spray heads | Rotor heads | Rotary/high-efficiency nozzles† | Manual sprinklers | |
| January – April | Water trees and shrubs as needed. | |||
| May | 12 | 24 | 30 | 18 |
| June | 17 | 35 | 43 | 26 |
| July | 18 | 36 | 45 | 27 |
| August | 14 | 27 | 34 | 20 |
| September | 11 | 23 | 28 | 17 |
| October – December | Water trees and shrubs as needed. | |||
*These times are based on a sprinkler system running at an efficient level. Watering is not allowed between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m