COLORADO SPRINGS — The extreme heat may motivate some to put more water on their yards. Water managers with Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) suggest a review of Water Wise principles for the region.
"It's just time to kind of kick that into a little bit more action," said CSU Water Planning Manager Kalsoum Abbasi.
Water storage for Colorado Springs is at a good level. There is enough for two and a half years. Abbasi says our dry climate requires always considering the possibility of drought in years ahead. Currently, she is also watching the drought situation in western Colorado and neighboring states. The area suffering from drought relies heavily on water from the Colorado River Basin. A lot of the water directed to Colorado Springs also comes from there. Almost 70% actually comes from the Colorado River basin and if you look at a drought map, you'll see that western Colorado is not in the same shape as eastern Colorado right now.
The situation may or may not impact Colorado Springs in the years ahead, but conserving water storage now can lessen potential issues.
"It's absolutely essential that people who live in the Colorado Springs area take Water-Wise landscaping seriously," said CSU, Conservation Specialist, Catherine Moravec. "It's really a match between using smart watering practices and good irrigation equipment, and using water-wise plants," said Moravec.
The Colorado Springs Utilities demonstration garden shows you don't have to just stick to cactuses to have a beautiful, water-wise garden. Other water-wise plants include. You can go to this linkto check out more options.
For now, water before 10:00 a.m. or after 6:00 p.m. If you see dry spots, hand water and check for poorly functioning sprinkler heads rather than cranking up the time. Little things can save a lot of water.
