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[Water
Conservation | Water
Quality Protection |
Conservation
Programs in Assabet Watershed Towns
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Water Conservation
If you are using a local water source, your water
use affects both the surface water and aquifers near you.
(If you're using MWRA water, you're participating in an "interbasin
transfer," which means the water you use is piped out
of the Quabbin watershed and into the Assabet; conserving
helps maintain sustainable water supplies). The largest discretionary
(that is, unnecessary) water use is summertime lawn watering.
You can water less, grow a healthier lawn, protect your local
water resources, and save money.
Outdoors
You can conserve water by:
 Greatly
reducing your outdoor watering in the summertime (when streams
are at their most vulnerable and need that water). Your
community may already institute summer watering restrictions.
Consider a more natural, interesting, lower-maintenance
alternative to the temperamental, demanding, thirsty green
lawn. Most people plant Kentucky bluegrass, a mono-crop
that is vulnerable to disease, grubs, etc., is ill-adapted
to our climate, and needs lots of water to stay green. Follow
the tips below and your yard will be the envy of your neighborhood.
- For your lawn:
- Instead of planting Kentucky bluegrass, plant
a grass seed mixture that includes hardy fescues.
- If you must water, water infrequently (once a
week or less) but deeply (one inch). This will encourage
the grass to grow deep roots, increasing its chances
for survival in a drought. Use common sense - do
not water after a heavy rainfall has given your
lawn a good soaking.
- Turn off that automatic sprinkler!
- Plant a smaller lawn. Fill in with other kinds
of cover, flowering plants, leafy plants, trees,
rocks…
- Mow high - let the grass blades grow to to 2"
- Improve your soil with composted soils.
- Test your soil and correct pH if needed. Read
more.
- Let your lawn turn brown during a dry time - it's
dormant, not dead, and should come back.
- For the rest of your yard:
- Plant native, drought-tolerant plants
- Connect a cistern or two to your downspout and
use roof runoff to water your garden.
- General:
- If you hire a landscaping professional, consider
hiring an ecological
landscaper to restore the natural ecology of
your own personal landscape! The Ecological Landscaper
Association can help you find ecological landscapers
in your area.
Links. There
are many sources of information about ecological lawncare
and landscaping on the web, in books, at garden centers, and
at organizations such as the Ecological Landscaping Association
and the New England Wildflower Society. Here are a few websites
to get you started:
 Indoor
water use. Remember to turn
the water off while you're brushing your teeth or washing
dishes; only run the dishwasher and washing machine when you've
got a full load; and switch to low-flow appliances (dishwasher,
washing machine, showerhead, toilet).
Links. For more
information about how to reduce indoor and outdoor water use,
visit the California
Urban Water Conservation Council's webpage, take the house
tour and check out the exhaustive list of links. Another general
water conservation website is Massachusetts
DEM's.
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