Truckee Meadows Water Authority says on average 30% to 50% of water waste is due to overwatering, poor scheduling, and inefficient irrigation systems.
TMWA's water conservation consultants, also nicknamed "Water Watchers", have a big impact on our community by locating any of these issues and informing homeowners how it can be fixed.
If you see a big yellow or white card left on your front door don't worry. You're not in trouble and it's not a fine - it's most likely TMWA.
Water Watchers patrol different areas every day to ensure we're saving as much water as possible. Whether responding to a report or just driving by, if they see anything that indicates poor water usage they'll knock on your door to let you know how to fix it or leave behind a card if no one's home.
Tullio Marchionne, a water conservation auditor, says, "We're not out here to penalize people, we're out here to consult and maybe a better term is help and educate."
TMWA's Water Conservation Coordinator Shannon Giolito says one of the most common reports they get are people who water too much, "Sometimes people have their timers set to run too long and that water will run off, over the curb, and down the gutter. Not only is it water waste but it's going to make your water bill go up."
Within the span of an hour and a half of driving around, Marchionne found three homes over-watering their lawns. Giolito recommends each runtime be no longer than five to eight minutes.
Another neighbor was found watering on the wrong day.
"Even addresses water on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. And odds on Wednesday, Friday, Sunday," Marchionne explains.
On Mondays no one is to water as it's a rest day for the system.
Another common report TMWA gets from people is broken sprinklers using reclaimed water - most commonly in public landscaping areas like parks, golf courses, or along streets.
Unfortunately, Giolito says they cannot help with that, "This is not our water, and a lot of people see lots of water waste in this area here with the reclaimed water, so the best thing to do is to call 311."
To learn more about proper water usage, requesting an auditor, or making a report you can check out TMWA's website.
