Conserve to Preserve!

Did you know practicing good water use habits will not only save energy and money, but more importantly will help protect the quality of life for future generations?

Know your water! Some questions you should ask yourself: Where is our water coming from? How long will we be able to get water from that resource? Is there anything I can do to help preserve the water resources?

Understanding the effects of your water usage and learning to practice good water-use habits is essential in preserving our water resources. The City of Round Rock is taking the necessary steps to inform the public of the need for water conservation and providing helpful tools for your everyday use.

Some ways Round Rock is implementing Water Conservation

• Implementing the Summer Watering Schedule
• Educating citizens on the importance of water conservation
• Utilizing the City's Water Wise Program
• Providing simple, effective water-savings tips
• Drought Management Plan
• Utilizing a Water Re-Use Program
• Conservation Water Rates My Bill

Watering Calendar

The Round Rock City Council approved an updated Waterwise Program watering schedule that encourages residents to water only twice a week or less on designated days. Always water in the early morning or late evening to avoid losing most of your water to evaporation in the heat of the day.

Residents are asked not to water on Mondays because it is the designated water plant recharge day.

Handwatering can be done on any day.

Summer Watering Schedule
Property Type	Watering Day
Comercial/Mult-family/Industrial/Institutional/Municipal	Tuesday and/or Friday
Residential: Odd-numbered address	Wednesday and/or Saturday
Residential: Even-numbered address	Thursday and/or Sunday

For more information, see the Waterwise Program web page or contact the City's Water Conservation Specialist, Jessica Woods, at (512) 671-2872.

City of Round Rock is a WaterSense Partner

The City of Round Rock is committed to protecting the future of our regional and local water supply through water efficient practices, products, and services. That is why we have partnered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to bring you WaterSense, a national program that offers people a simple way to make product choices to use less water—and perform as well or better than existing products.

Why Should You Care?

• Using water efficiently will conserve supplies for future generations.
• Protecting and preserving the nation’s water supply is critical to our economic future and human health.
• WaterSense labeled products and services perform as well as or better than their less efficient counterparts.
• Purchasing WaterSense labeled products can help you protect the environment and help you save money on utility bills.

WaterSense Labeled Products

Stay tuned as WaterSense labeled products become available at a store near you! EPA maintains an online directory of labeled products on the WaterSense web site.

City of Round Rock Water Wise Program

You can count on Central Texas summers being hot and dry. Water conservation is a practice that should be followed year-round, but especially during the summer. To help reduce peak day water use, the City of Round Rock encourages residents and local businesses to follow our Water Wise Program during the summer months.

This program is in place to help spread out the amount of water used daily. If everyone watered every day, the demand on the current water system would be enormous. By only watering as needed and watering deeply, lawns establish better root systems. Ultimately both the lawn and the water system benefit.

This Water Wise Program is a VOLUNTARY (during Stage I water restrictions) water conservation program that is supported by the City of Round Rock. The program encourages residents to water according to their designated watering day. The designated watering days are based on the last digit of your address. 

When and who should follow this program?

• Water Wise months - May through September
• Water on your day between midnight and 10am or 7pm and midnight.
• Conservation methods should be followed at all times, but especially in the summer months
• Everyone with lawns or outside foliage upkeep

Healthy landscape is not only aesthetically pleasing, it benefits the environment by preventing soil erosion, increases carbon-oxygen exchange, and provides food and habitat for animals.

Indoor and Outdoor Water Savings Tips

Indoors

Install Water-Efficient Appliances

• Toilets are the main source of water use inside. High-efficiency toilets, which use 1.28 gallons per flush or less, can save 4,000 gallons per year.  Look for "Water-Sense" models.
• Showerheads installed in the 1980's use 3-4 gallons per minute (gpm) Some newer models are available that only use 1.5 gpm.
• High-efficiency clothes washers use 35 to 55% less water, 50% less energy, and less detergent.  Front-loading machines are more efficient than top-loaders and gentler on clothes. 

In the bathroom

• Install efficient showerheads that use 2.0 gpm or less and faucet aerators that use 1.0 gpm or less.
• Turn water off while brushing and washing your hands
• Take shorter showers and take a shower instead of a bath

In the kitchen

• Wash dishes in washer, rather than handwashing, even if not completely full.  New models use less water and energy than handwashing.
• Fill the sink with soapy water instead of letting water run continuously, if handwashing. 
• Install an efficient aerator on kitchen faucet that uses 2.5 gpm or less.

Water Softeners

• Save water and salt by running the minimum amount of regenerations necessary
• Turn off while on vacation
• Ensure you have the proper size for your household.

Outdoors

When to Water

• Water only between midnight and 10am or 7pm and midnight on the designated day. The evaporation losses are up to 60% higher during the heat of the day.
• Twice per week according to the watering schedule.
• Avoid watering on windy or rainy days.
• Turn irrigation systems off when raining and leave off several days after a significant (more than 1/2") rain event.

How Much to Water

• Water your grass thoroughly to a depth of 4-6 inches.
  • It only takes one inch of water to penetrate to this depth.
  • This helps make the grass more drought tolerant by allowing roots to grow deeper.

How to Water

• Use drip hoses and mulch wherever possible.  For free mulch contact our Brush Recycling Center.
• Adjust sprinklers to ONLY water the lawn, not sidewalks and driveways.
• Set automatic timers to water during the 7 p.m. and 10 a.m. timeframe.
• Adjust water schedule seasonally.  Spring and Fall schedules can be 1/2 of summer schedule.
• Turn irrigation system off during winter (December thru February).
• Install a rain shut-off device on irrigation system.

Landscape

• Don't Cut Grass Too Low If the lawnmower is set higher, the longer grass can help shade the ground, hold moisture longer and help to fight off heat.  We recommend to cut 1/2 to 3/4 inch at a time. 
• Re-Use Grass Clippings Leaving the grass clippings on the ground can serve as mulch and fertilizer all-in-one. Chemical fertilizers may not be needed during summer months.
• Mulch, Mulch, Mulch.  Adding mulch to flower beds and under shrubs prevents the ground from overheating, helps hold moisture and discourages weeds.
• Collect Rainwater.  Use the collected rainwater on gardens, potted plants, beds, refill ponds and birdbaths.  Rainwater is better for landscape than tapwater and is less expensive.
• Native landscape.  Established shrubs and native plants require less water than turf.
• Shady areas.  Water shady areas less than areas more exposed to the sun.

Drought Management

Drought is a hazard of nature that we can't prevent.  If you have spent an extended period of time in Texas, you probably have experienced summer drought conditions.  Drought originates from a deficiency of precipitation over an extended period of time and results in water shortages.  The impacts on the City result from the interplay between the natural event (no rain), and the demand people place on the water supply.  Drought is unpreventable, therefore it is vital for the City to plan for the effects it will have on the use and allocation of water in order for the City to meet its ultimate water demand.

City of Round Rock's Drought Contingency Plan

For more information on Water Conservation please contact
Jessica Woods at 512-671-2872
or via email at Conservation Specialist

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