Southern Nevada Water Authority

It’s that time of year in Southern Nevada when cooler temperatures have us reaching for our sweaters. The arrival of “sweater weather” means it’s time to change our landscape irrigation clocks to follow the community’s winter watering schedule.

In effect from Nov. 1 through Feb. 28, the winter watering schedule limits sprinkler irrigation to one assigned day per week; sprinkler watering is prohibited on Sunday. Find your assigned watering day at snwa.com.

Plants and trees need much less water than grass, so you can save water and lower your monthly bill by running your drip irrigation system on a recommended schedule of once every seven to 14 days. While this may not seem like much, it’s still enough to keep your plants and trees healthy during the coldest months of the year. And it can help you avoid over-irrigating your desert-adapted, water-efficient landscapes.

Here are more tips to help keep your landscape vibrant this winter while helping the community save water:

• Water grass with spray irrigation during the mid-morning hours to avoid freezing and prevent ice from forming on lawns and sidewalks.
• Water your lawn for a maximum of 12 minutes on your watering day in three 4-minute cycles, with an hour between each cycle.
• Change the time on your irrigation clock to coincide with the end of Daylight-Saving Time on Sunday, Nov. 1.

The amount of water we apply to our landscapes is critically important because it is used once and cannot be reclaimed; on the other hand, water we use indoors is reclaimed, highly treated, and returned to Lake Mead for reuse. Save water where it matters most—outdoors.

For more information about the community’s seasonal watering restrictions, and for money-saving tips to keep your landscape healthy and lush all year long, visit snwa.com.