Allen residents are wasting millions of gallons of water each month due to broken sprinkler heads and other irrigation problems. Here's how a free system evaluation can help you conserve.
July is Smart Irrigation Month in Allen, a month dedicated to bringing awareness to water efficiency in sprinkler systems. Since 2015, City of Allen Water Conservation has arranged approximately 850 free irrigation evaluations for Allen residents.
"Almost every system we've seen has had at least one broken head or nozzle that needed to be replaced," said Michael Mueller, a licensed irrigator who helps perform the free irrigation checks. "In addition to those broken heads and nozzles, we've noticed about twelve other items that could be fixed on every system that we've seen."
Mueller says each broken nozzle uses about fifteen gallons of water per minute and runs for fifteen minutes per cycle.
"To put that in perspective for you, those 850 homes would be losing approximately 4 million gallons per month," said Mueller.
Sprinkler use accounts for up to 60% of Allen's water use during summer months. In addition to scheduling an irrigation evaluation, residents can save water (and money) by investing in a smart irrigation system. The City of Allen even offers a rebate program to help cover up to $125 in installation costs.
"To find out more about our rebate program or possibly schedule an irrigation evaluation, residents should sign up for our Water Conservation E-News," says Gail Donaldson, City of Allen Water Conservation Manager. These monthly emails contain details on smart watering practices and offers geared exclusively to subscribers, including a limited number of irrigation evaluations available to residents through the end of July. To subscribe, simply enter your email address on the sign-up form, check the "Water Conservation" box and click "Sign up."
Smart Irrigation Month is an initiative of the Irrigation Association, the national trade association for irrigators. You can learn more about smart irrigation or search for a licensed irrigator at DallasIA.org.