Bend residents urged to use water wisely amid eclipse crowds

The number of visitors to Bend is projected to increase due to the upcoming eclipse. In response, the city of Bend is encouraging city water customers to reduce water use where possible.

“We’re expecting a large number of visitors in the coming days which will increase water demands throughout our service area,” said Water Conservation Program Manager Mike Buettner. “We’re well-prepared to meet the increased water demands, but also want to encourage our customers to reduce water use if they can.

“Even small reductions in water use can help us offset a temporary spike in water use and help manage our overall bottom line by reducing the amount of energy we use to pump, treat and distribute water to our customers.”

Landscape irrigation accounts for the majority of residential water use during the summer. One easy way to save water is to adjust irrigation schedules and programmed run times to deliver less water for the next week.

Steps to reduce water use during the growing season include:

· Reduce irrigation run times by 10 percent for the next week

· Reduce the number of minutes for individual irrigation zones

· Inspect your irrigation system for leaks or overspray and runoff onto adjacent streets

· Follow to the City’s irrigation hours and EVEN / ODD day irrigation schedule

Visit www.waterwisetips.org for more information on how to save water in the landscape and at home.

Have questions about your irrigation system? Contact the City of Bend Utility Department by at 541-317-3000 (option 2) or conservation@bendoregon.gov .

More questions about the eclipse? www.bendoregon.gov/eclipse .