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Attention to weather conditions can be an aid to reducing water use

June has been a wet month so far. Attention to automatic watering systems can result in dramatic water savings during wet weather conditions

Water conservation requires us to be flexible and sensible with our environment. Given the cooler than average start to June that we have had lately, residents of Keremeos should be modifying their watering habits to adapt to the unexpected weather patterns.

For those of you with automatic irrigation systems, these systems should be switched to the rain function or turned off during days with rainfall. Watering during a day of sufficient rainfall is pointless, the soil can only retain a certain amount of water, so excessive watering is not only wasteful, it does not provide any additional benefit to your lawn and gardens.

These changes in watering behaviors should not only be limited to residential users, agricultural users should consider the lack of sunshine in their scheduled irrigation. With cloud cover, the loss of water due to evaporation is much lower and thus regular irrigation cycles should be cut shorter to minimize water waste and potential loss of nutrients due to run off. This cool, wet weather may not be indicative of a summer with an abundance of water.

That is to say, water conservation should not be overlooked by the residents of Keremeos, any water that is saved now, may be required in Keremeos once the hot, dry summer weather rolls in.