Bend bans daytime lawn sprinklers, urges night use

Weather forecasters are predicting some of the highest temperatures of the summer for Bend starting this weekend. Now is a great time to revisit your irrigation timer schedule and take advantage of the new irrigation hours that allow watering at night, officials said Friday.

The City Council approved new irrigation hours as part of a water code revision last year, and now is a great time to take advantage of the ability to water at night.

Patrick Griffiths, the city’s water resources manager, says, “Give your irrigation system the day off! Our new watering rules do not allow automatic irrigation during the hours of 9am to 5pm, as this is typically the hottest, most windy and least efficient time of day to water.

“Re-setting timers to irrigate during off-peak hours of sunset to sunrise, when water system demands are lowest, has many advantages,” he said.

Bend City Councilor Sally Russell said, “Smoothing out the daily peak demands of water use helps the entire water system be more efficient.”

The guide in the image above is a great reminder of when the BEST times for watering are during a 24 hour day. Avoid the red and orange times of day – the green zones are the most efficient times of day to water. (Rule variances allow daytime watering for new sod, seed and plantings.)

For a look at the complete water regulations now in effect to increase efficiency and reduce waste, visit the Bend Code Updates at: http://www.codepublishing.com/OR/bend/html/Bend14/Bend14.html#14

For additional WaterWise tips, videos, smart controller fact sheets, plant choices and more, please visit the City of Bend WaterWise web pages at www.waterwisetips.org