Water Usage During Summer Months

Whether you’re turning on your irrigations systems to keep your lawn a lush green or setting up sprinkler to water your landscaping and summer gardens, remember to be aware of your water consumption and to water effectively.

In the summer months, about 10% of all water produced at the Town of Mooresville treatment facilities goes to irrigation. People often unknowingly use more water than necessary to water their lawns. In our region, only one inch of water per week is needed to keep most lawns green. 

How do you how many inches of water your lawn is consuming? To gauge watering, you can put several short, straight sided containers (such as cat food or tuna cans) around your yard within your sprinkler system’s spray pattern.  Run the sprinklers for 15 minutes, then measure the depth of water in each can to determine the average depth across your lawn. Then use that depth to calculate the length of time your sprinkler should run per day to get one inch of water in a week. While overwatering adds to your water bill, it can also be harmful for your lawn.

To make sure watering is most effective, water early in the morning when it is cooler. Consider using rain barrels to capture rainwater and using it to water your lawn or plants. If a landscaping project is in your future, research and consider using native drought tolerant plants and trees, such as certain varieties of juniper, lavender, camellia, and daylilies which are all native to North Carolina.

Water for irrigation is treated to the same level as drinking water. Town of Mooresville water supply, which comes from Lake Norman, is routinely monitored for more than 150 potential contaminants—such as E. coli, arsenic, mercury, chromium, and radioactive contaminants—before it is distributed to our customers. More than 50 samples from our distribution system are taken per month to check for any presence of contaminants to ensure the water is just as safe when it gets to your house. Both in-house and third-parting testing is used to ensure residents are receiving a quality product their households—and their plants—can rely on.

Learn more about Mooresville water! For detailed information on Town of Mooresville Public Utilities and to read the full 2021 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report, click here.