OMAHA, Neb (KMTV) — With near record level demands and the excessive heat we are experiencing. M.U.D. is asking its customers to alter their watering schedules.
What this means is, if your address ends in an odd number, (1,3,5,7,9) you are being asked to water on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
And if your address ends in an even number, (2,4,6,8,0) you are being asked to water on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
But what time is the best time to water? The University of Nebraska Extension said it's in the mornings.
"The time in the day that is best to water is between say five in the morning and nine in the morning. That's when the wind speeds are less, that's when the evaporative demand is less, so it's better all the way around. As well, you are going to promote fewer diseases on the lawn — so five to nine in the morning is really the best for the turf," John Fech, UNL Extension educator, said.
Fech suggests using a screwdriver to test for when you should water next.
"Push it in the ground and that will give you a sense of just how much resistance there is. If it goes in the ground really hard and then it's hard to get in and when you pull it out again it's really dry and on the blade, it's time to water," Fech said.
He said if you push the screwdriver in the ground and it was easy and maybe muddy, he suggests waiting another couple of days until you water again.
In addition to shifting your watering schedule, M.U.D. provided some additional tips.
These include measuring the amount of water applied to your lawn in a 15-minute period. They suggest using a tuna can to measure and then adjust your run time accordingly.
Make sure your sprinklers are working properly and directed at your lawn and not on the sidewalks or driveways.
Check the connection of your hose to ensure there are no leaks. M.U.D. said in its news release that a single hose left on uses nearly 300 gallons of water an hour.
The utility company recommends using a broom instead of water to clean surfaces like your patio and driveway. And lastly use a remote rain sensor shutoff device on your system.
To be clear, shifting your water schedule is not a mandate. They are asking customers to do this voluntarily.
According to M.U.D., it is seeing the most demand on Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning. They hope to balance out some of that demand.
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