The Woodward News

Local News

July 2, 2009

City official says be water wise

Eight million.

That’s approximately how many gallons of water that the entire city of Woodward uses on average in just one day during the months of June, July and August, according to Woodward Water Superintendent Ed Laird.

And it translates into an average of more than 5,000 gallons a minute.

So it’s no wonder that some Woodward residents may be experiencing low water pressure from time to time, especially in “some of the older additions that have older lines,” Laird said.

“When everyone is one the system at the same time, demand is up on the water system so there’s going to be a drop in pressure,” he said.

However, if residents were to practice a few water conservation strategies, Laird said they could probably save themselves the headache of low water pressure as well as the headache of a high water bill.

Laird said that a lot of water and money can be saved by just paying attention to how and when you water your lawn.

For example, he said “don’t do it in the afternoon.”

“If you water your lawn during the hottest part of the day, most of it just evaporates,” Laird said.

Instead, he suggested watering “late at night or early in the morning, where most of the water can soak in.”

But don’t leave your sprinkler running for too long, Laird said.

If a sprinkler is left spraying water in one area for too long, the ground will eventually become saturated and the water will just begin running off into the street, where it doesn’t do any good, he said.

“If you see water running into the street, move the sprinkler,” Laird said.

It is also important to find the best location to put a sprinkler in the first place, Laird said, noting that improper placement often leaves people watering their driveways or sidewalks just as much as they are watering their lawns.

“Quit watering the sidewalks; quit watering the streets,” he said. “Keep the sprinkler on the grass.”

Whether you are running your sprinkler at the wrong time, leaving it running in one place too long or running it in the wrong place, the water superintendent said they all mean the same thing: “you’re paying for water you’re not using.”

You would also be wasting water, Laird said, noting “my biggest issue is the wasteful stuff.”

He noted recent instances where he drove by homes and businesses that were using sprinklers to water their yards and “water was running (for) blocks down the street.”

“It just kills me to see people waste water like that,” he said, noting that unfortunately “that goes on all the time.”

“A lot of times people don’t realize that they’re doing it,” Laird said. “They just put it (a sprinkler) on and forget about it.”

However, he said he feels that people shouldn’t be so quick to ignore their water usage.

“Water is a commodity that we need to take care of,” Laird said. “Water is something we take for granted.”

Although Woodward has not had any major issues with water rationing since a two year stint back in 1998, the water superintendent said that “it wouldn’t take much” for there to be problems today.

In fact, during an electrical storm this past weekend, Laird said that a fuse was blown to four of the city’s 65 water wells.

Fortunately it was just a blown fuse that officials were alerted to and replaced quickly, but he said the storm “could (have just as) easily burned up who knows how many motors.”

“The turnaround of rewiring an electric motor is a week at least,” Laird said. “And for four 300-gallon-a-minute wells, that adds up.”

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