Frequently Asked Questions

The simplest method is to use the online reporting form listed below. For significant leaks creating a health and public safety concern, please call 838-1000.

Done correctly, irrigating lawns only three days a week in Windsor is both water saving and beneficial for growing more deeply rooted, heat tolerant turf grass. For fixed spray pop-up sprinklers, two shorter applications (4 – 7 min), applied about an hour apart, gets the water deeper into the root zone without runoff. As an example, to run sprinklers 36 minutes per week: Station run time – 1st Start Time – 2nd Start Time – Days 6 minutes – 5:00 a.m. – 6:00 a.m. – M, W, F Sprinkler run times will need to be longer for single and multi-stream rotor type sprinklers that apply water at a slower rate than standard fixed spray pop-ups. However, the approach is the same. The clay based soils found throughout Windsor help retain the water that has penetrated deeper into the root zone, eliminating the need for more frequent irrigation, and providing the conditions needed for lawns to grow longer, healthier roots.

If possible, you should schedule your irrigation early enough in the morning to be finished before sunrise. This is the time of day when there is the least amount of wind and the least amount of water loss due to evaporation.

Your water meter's low flow indicator can be used to detect whether you have a leak or not.

You can install an on-demand recirculation pump, which speeds up the delivery of hot water to the fixture. The water that normally goes down the drain as you wait is returned to the water heater by using the cold water line as a return loop. Once the hot water arrives, water begins to flow out of the fixture and the pump shuts off automatically.

The Water Use Classification of Landscape Species(WUCOLS), a publication of UC Cooperative Extension, is a comprehensive list of plants classified by their water requirements. The Sonoma County Master Gardeners website (http://groups.ucanr.org/sonomamg/) also maintains a list of plants well suited to our climate.