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<br />,ILOngmOntFYI - Sprinkler savvy <br />I <br />/ <br />.' <br /> <br />CU Recruiting <br />Scandal <br /> <br />Customer Service <br />Subscriptions <br />Vacation Hold <br />Corrections <br />Contact Us <br />Employment <br />at Lehman Communication!; <br />Corp. <br /> <br />Search <br />LongmontFYI <br />L __._____m <br /> <br /> <br />. I flTI, I '7:)> <br />~~ <br />-..' <br />~, - <br />Longmont High <br />School <br />Mega Reunion. <br />July 23. 2805 <br /> <br /> <br />Stimac said she hoped to gain some conservation tips that would reduce her water bill, <br />which was $82.63 last month. <br /> <br />"I've never had a bill this high," she said, adding that she would be happy to spend a few <br />hundred dollars to improve her sprinkler system if it needed it. <br /> <br />After placing the blue plastic fill cups around her yard, Scott ran Stimac's sprinkler for <br />about 45 minutes, then checked to see how much water was in each cup. . <br /> <br />In Stimac's case, it was an inch, a perfect amount, according to Scott. <br /> <br />After assessing other aspects of her sprinklers, Scott recommended that Stimac adjust two <br />sprinkler heads, one that wasn't adequately watering a patch of lawn and another that was <br />pointed toward her porch. <br /> <br />Scott also measured the lawn's roots - healthy grass has roots between 6 and 12 inches <br />deep, Scott said. Stimac's were 11 inches. <br /> <br />Timing a yard's watering is also important because of Colorado's heavy clay soils. <br /> <br />Stimac had been watering her yard twice a week in two cycles of 10 minutes each day. <br /> <br />Scott recommended three times on each watering day, not to exceed a total of 27 minutes. <br /> <br />The first 10 minutes of watering, he said, loosens up the clay. Letting the lawn rest for a half <br />hour and then sprinkling for another 10 minutes allows the water to seep a little deeper into <br />the now-loosened clay, Scott said. <br /> <br />By the third cycle of watering, the ground is pliable enough to allow the water to soak into <br />the roots, for a healthier lawn, he said. <br /> <br />Overall, Scott commended Stimac for taking great care of her lawn. <br /> <br />Not everyone is as efficient, however. <br /> <br />. ViJ' ~~. "Taking the time to meet with an auditor brings to light a lot of things that are easily fixed," <br />'; _ 'i.~~~~"" said Csibrik. <br /> <br />:,'trN:k M;Jlbi -~- <br />I1nJ JlutuaI FunJ /Uoporl' Most homeowners, she said, "see a 15 percent reduction on average following an irrigation <br />.' .' . audit if the homeowner is able to implement the suggestions the auditor makes. It is really <br />significant if you add it up as a community." <br /> <br />Each city involved in the water audits, which are modeled after a successful Utah program, <br />pays 50 percent of the costs. The rest comes from Colorado Water Conservation Board <br />grants. <br /> <br />"This year, we haven't gotten our grant, but we're going forth with the program anyway," <br />Csibrik said. <br /> <br />"We're investing a lot in the program. We want to keep on growing it so we've got to do <br />what we've got to do." <br /> <br />Dale Rademacher, director of water and wastewater utilities for Longmont, said the city <br />"found (the audits) to be very effective last year with the additional customers and <br />homeowners' associations" that participated. <br /> <br />http://www.longmontfyi.com/region-story .asp?ID=262 7 <br /> <br />Page 2 of3 <br /> <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br /> <br />Ii <br /> <br /> <br />pF <br />en <br /> <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />;,i Itlr <br />~ <br /> <br />I. <br /> <br />lJCUCI <br />..~ <br /> <br />7/13/2005 <br />