COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS — When the pandemic put people out of work, every penny became precious.
As families look for ways to save, they are looking at all aspects of their budgets, from food to utilities.
If keeping your lawn green is causing you to go into the red, your sprinkler system could be the reason you are not seeing any savings.
But with proper education, you can keep your lawn green and your checkbook in the black.
Robin Button, a College Station resident, utilized a free service from the City to help her keep more money in her wallet.
Button looked for ways to keep her lawn staying lush.
"We had some spots in our lawn that were brown and we were watering constantly," Robin Button, College Station resident said.
Button reached out to Jennifer Nations with the City's Water Services Department and found out ways she could conserve both water and money.
"We use our water for a lot more than drinking, but it all comes from groundwater. So every gallon that we save is a gallon stored in the ground for later generations," Jennifer Nations, Water Resource Coordinator, for the City of College Station said.
Button said Nations visited her home and not only did she give her money saving tips, she also pointed out problems that were draining her budget. By the time Nations had finished, Button had soaked up a wealth of watering information.
"I learned how to replace sprinkler heads and know when they were broken. I learned how to spray them to parts of my yard that needed the irrigation the most and I learned how long to water because more water does not equal better," Button said.
Nations said if water woes continue, the problem may be at the meter.
"There may be a little red dial that will be spinning that will show a water leak, or if you have a digital meter there will be a plus sign and that's an indication of a water leak," Nations added.
Nations points out that while waiting on Mother Nature to supply the water is ideal, watering is not always an option, so watering smart is the best way to go.
BV Water Smart is a program that Jennifer Nations says is extremely successful. It even won the 2019 Governor's Environment Excellence Award, which is the highest the Texas Commission on Environmental Equality gives out.
Jennifer Nations has less than 10 more water checks to go before capturing her 1,000th free irrigation check.
To make sure your sprinkler system is running efficiently, call the City and ask for a free water irrigation check up. You can also visit CSTX.GOV and fill out the online form.