 spring2009   we ve got your number  though summer watering may not be foremost on your mind at the moment we thought you should know that we will begin posting the weekly watering number on april 2 published here each thursday from marchseptember the weekly watering number  is the amount of water in inches that your lawn will need that week it can also be used for other types of plants by using these general guidelines shrubs 50 of the weekly watering number trees 50 of the weekly watering number vegetables 75 of the weekly watering number request that the weekly watering number be emailed to you each week step right up the greatest waste of water is watering too much too often here in the portland metro area we recommend watering your lawn about an inch a week and more during long hot dry spells not sure how long it takes your sprinkler to water an inch pick up one or our free watering gauge kits at each of our summer events or request that one be mailed to you the kits can be used as a tool to figure out how much water is needed to reach the recommended one inch of water for a healthy green lawn every drop counts nationwide more than 1 trillion gallons of water leak from us homes each year fortunately many of these inhome leaks can be easily found and fixed by a doityourself plumber likely culprits include running toilets dripping faucets and dribbling showers since toilets use 27 of the water used in an average home we recommend starting there sometimes it is easy to catch your toilet in the act by listening for the telltale sound of running water or a faint hissing or trickling but many times water flows through the tank silently to check your toilet for a silent leak simply remove the tank lid drop 10 drops of darker food coloring into the tank put the lid back on wait 10 to 15 minutes then check the bowl if you see colored water you have a leak if not you don t this is a great activity to do with kids visit wwwconserveh2oorg and epa s watersense to find out more about how you can find and fix leaks in your home  april 22 energy and water efficiency double your savings sponsored in partnership with portland general electric this halfday workshop will provide businesses with an overview of how they can wisely manage the use of valuable energy and water resources in their dayto day operations more info   may 30 using too much water  learn how you can use water wisely in your garden and retain the beauty and textures of the landscape you have worked so hard to create visit us at dennis 7 dees cedar hills location from 10 am 2pm  june 13 father knows best help dad save time water and money on his lawn this summer stop by our booth and pick up a free watering gauge kit and other helpful water conservation resources two locations  dennis 7 dees  lake oswego and drake s 7 dees  from 10 am 2pm visit wwwconserveh2oorg for a complete list of free workshops and events topics include a variety of waterwise and natural gardening tips and techniques generally speaking lawns require more water and maintenance than other plants use these tips to keep your lawn green while using less water aerate your lawn in the spring or fall or both if you can to allow water to reach the grass roots more easily water early in the morning before 10am when temperatures are cooler and evaporation is minimized keep your blades sharp as dull blades can tear or injure your grass consider replacing some turf area with low water use plants they can be easier to maintain than turf look beautiful and require far less water interested in learning more about lawns check out our planting maintaining your lawn brochure and look for other outdoor water conservation tips on our website   the consortium provides planning and management support for the portland metro region s municipal water supplies contact us   copyright 2008 all rights reserved  spring 2009 view edit  