Irrigation systems across the Port Washington Peninsula are turning on to start the spring, so the Port Washington Water District would like to remind residents of the importance of saving water while irrigating your lawns.

Roughly half of all water used during the spring and summer is wasted due to inefficient lawn-watering methods, which results in a waste of money as well. Smart irrigation systems are, by far, the best tools to prevent such drastic water waste during irrigation season.

“As we enter the warmest time of year, it is crucial that Port Washington Water District residents prepare to conserve water while irrigating their lawns,” said PWWD Chairman David Brackett. “Smart irrigation controllers are among the most useful tools available to ensure that your system minimizes water waste. The savings they produce make it so that they essentially pay for themselves in no time, so we encourage all of our residents to make the switch as soon as possible.”

All of Long Island draws its water from the sole-source aquifer hundreds of feet below the ground. Water use skyrockets when irrigation systems are running during the spring and summer, placing an enormous amount of strain on the aquifer and making it crucial that Long Islanders conserve water when the weather is at its warmest. This is especially important in Port Washington.

As a coastal community, Port Washington is at an increased risk of saltwater intrusion if wells are over-pumped, adding to the importance of conservation in the area. The District also is running at limited capacity with several wells offline as they undergo emerging contaminant treatment.

Smart irrigation controllers use WiFi signals to connect to local weather forecasts and adjust your irrigation system’s schedule based on factors such as rain and temperature.

This helps to mitigate the risk of overwatering and ensures that your lawn receives exactly the amount of water needed in order to stay healthy. Hundreds of residents within the PWWD have replaced their standard irrigation controllers with smart controllers in the last few years and the results have been tremendously positive.

These residents have saved an average of 20 to 30 percent on their water usage, with some cases reaching as high as 50 percent. The PWWD also has a conservation rate structure in place, which means that, when the number of gallons of water you use decreases, your cost per gallon can go down as well.

This technology has proven to be so effective that the PWWD requires all residents with an automatic irrigation system to update their system to include a smart controller by Jan. 1, 2025.

For more information about how you can conserve water this spring and summer, visit www.pwwd.org/conservation.