Water conservation was topic of discussion at Tuesday’s Redmond City Council meeting

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- During Tuesday night’s Redmond City Council meeting, a presentation on water conservation was front and center.

Redmond Mayor Ed Fitch said, “Everyone uses water on the Deschutes Basin, needs to use it in a much more conservative way. Stewardship, and so that's what we're going to engage in going forward.”

Water conservation is a huge deal here on the High Desert, specifically in the city of Redmond. Mayor Ed Fitch says one of their primary focuses is water conservation.

"One thing that is really the driver for us in conservation is the use of water during the irrigation season on lawns," Fitch said. "In the wintertime, we use about 2,600 gallons a minute. It goes up to 24,000 in the summertime, so there's simple things people can do.”

Among those modest water conservation tips, for outside:

• Check your soil before watering.
• Use mulch on soil surface.
• Install high-efficiency sprinklers.
• Adjust sprinklers to water plants, not driveways or hard surfaces.

Also, Redmond households average using 75 gallons of indoor water use per person per day.

To decrease your indoor water usage:

• Take shorter showers
• Turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth in the morning and evening
• Estimate household water usage for each major household appliance.

For more tips on how to conserve water, check out the City of Redmond’s website.