Forsyth County residents need to be mindful of their outdoor watering as watering restrictions are still in place, as well as a new tiered rate structure that you may have already noticed on your water bill. Currently the following watering restrictions apply for Forsyth County residents:
Even-numbered addresses (addresses ending with the number 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 or no number) may water on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with no watering allowed between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Odd-numbered addresses (addresses ending with the number 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9) may water on Tuesdays and Sundays, with no watering allowed between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
No outdoor watering is permitted on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays.
To calculate how your water bill may change this summer from last summer, visit the Forsyth County website at
www.forsythco.com and visit the water department section of the site. Their is a section to calculate your usage under the new tiered rate schedule.
Also, it is important to keep in mind some simple tips when watering outdoors:
- Water trees at night. With night time watering, you lose less water to evaporation.
- Your lawn will tell you it needs water by getting a bit dull or bluish. You can double-check with the "foot test." If your footsteps spring back up soon after you walk across, your lawn is fine. You don't need to water.
- Don't water on hot, windy afternoons. You'll lose more than half of your water to evaporation.
- Aim your sprinklers properly. Water your plants, not the street, sidewalk and driveway. If an area in your garden always stays damp, close off the sprinkler there.
- Don't forget to mulch. Mulching helps keep the soil cool and moist while suppressing water-stealing weeds and reducing your garden work. Mulch a wide area around your plants (but not next to the stem or trunk).
I often see neighbors in my subdivision using their sprinklers midday. Not only are they wasting a lot of money, but chances are they will get a fine. Yesterday, I noticed someone watering midday, and they were watering half of the street. Forsyth County Water trucks do patrol neighborhoods watching for watering restriction violators. And as always, their frequency of patrols is likely to increase during the warmer months. And, as Forsyth County residents, we are always the first to suffer during the droughts, so please conserve and obey the restrictions currently in place.
