10 reasons to turn off those sprinklers in santa clarita

After all the rain we’ve just had in the Santa Clarita area, why on earth do people still have their automatic sprinklers on? It is astonishing how many homes are pouring water over sodden soil. With water restrictions imposed on many areas last summer and water costs escalating, one might think it wouldn’t be difficult to press a button or turn a switch to set the irrigation time on “off” to save a little water for the coming summer months. Just about all systems allow a manual shut-off without having to reprogram times, so it really is very easy. If you or someone you know still has his or her sprinkler system on, it might be worth thinking about these 10 reasons to turn off those sprinklers.

1. Watering wet soil is expensive. It inflates your water bill and you get no benefits.
2. Excess water can rot the roots of your plants – especially plants that are drought tolerant.
3. Pavement wet with irrigation run-off can freeze on cold winter nights in some parts of Santa Clarita. If someone slips and gets hurt, you can get sued!
4. Leaving irrigation systems automatically on in the winter can cause pipes to split or break if the water freezes on a cold night.
5. Adding more moisture to hills or slopes can cause slippage or erosion problems.
6. More water on wet inclines will wash mud onto surfaces below, plug up drainage and make a mess that will have to be cleaned up.
7. Wasting water will continue to deplete our supplies. Even if we have lots of rain this winter, it won’t be enough to replace the heavy demands in the summer –especially after years of drought. If everyone who hasn’t bothered to turn off their automatic sprinklers did so, it would be enough to help stave off more restrictions in the future for a little while longer.
8. Adding additional water into already saturated soil invites trees to uproot and blow over with the next strong winds that blow into town.
9. Keeping the foundation of your house wet encourages rot and mold in the walls that can adversely affect your health.
10. Turning off sprinkler systems after rain makes you eco-wise and trendy. In the winter we can go a full week after a rain storm that brings a half inch of rain. After the dousing just experienced by the Santa Clarita area, sprinklers shouldn’t be needed for a good two weeks even if the weather were to turn warm, sunny and windy.

So do yourself, your family, your friends or your neighbors a favor and think about these 10 good reasons to shut off your sprinklers after heavy rains like the ones we just had. It’s easy. And you’ll be doing everyone a favor—yourself included!