Conserving Water Outdoors

For water-wise lawn watering and outdoor water conservation, the City suggests following the lawn watering schedules recommended in the Water Supply & Drought Management Plan and outlined below. Remember: No watering between the hours of 10:00am and 6:00pm!

Suggested Voluntary Lawn Watering Schedule

• Sunday: Residential (single family and duplexes) Even Addresses
• Monday: No Watering
• Tuesday: Non-Residential (commercial, multi-family, multi-family, homeowner’s associations, other)
• Wednesday: Residential (single family and duplexes) Odd Addresses
• Thursday: Residential (single family and duplexes) Even Addresses
• Friday: Non-Residential (commercial, multi-family, multi-family, homeowner’s associations, other)
• Saturday: Residential (single family and duplexes) Odd Addresses

Sample Cycle Irrigation Watering Schedules

Longmont’s clay soils can only absorb a limited amount of water at one time. Cycle irrigation reduces runoff and allows more water to be absorbed, resulting in deeper root growth and more drought-tolerant lawns.

Cycle irrigation is a lawn-watering approach that uses multiple start times, running through a multiple cycle of zones more than once per day. For example, instead of watering an entire zone for 20 minutes, set up three start times of 6 minutes each for a total of 18 minutes or two start times of 10 minutes each for a total of 20 minutes. Set start times so that there is an hour in between cycles, and adjust the length of time you water each zone so that no runoff occurs.

Did you know Colorado averages only 15 inches of precipitation a year? By changing our landscapes to be xeric- or low water using, watering your landscape efficiently and implementing sustainable gardening practices, you can reduce your water use and maintain a stunning yard that complements Colorado’s natural beauty!

The term Xeriscape was developed in 1981 by a team of landscape architects, contractors, horticulturists, and irrigation specialists at Denver Water! Xeriscape is more than just limiting grass, it is about putting the right plant in the right place. More importantly, Xeriscape is not anti-lawn or just rocks and gravel, it is a way to create a beautiful, vibrant space perfect for arid Colorado climate.

• Learn more about Xeriscape and how you can do it at your home from the Colorado Water Wise website.
• Learn what xeriscape can do for you from the City of Greeley’s website.
• Learn about planting for Colorado-scape from the City of Castle Rock’s website.
• View Denver Water’s Water Wise Landscape Handbook.
• Download FREE xeric designs

And don’t forget about Garden in a Box! The City of Longmont collaborates with Resource Central to provide discounted waterwise garden kits tailor-made for Colorado yards. These kits make it easy to get that professional look by including plant-by-number maps, seasonal maintenance suggestions, and watering recommendations to help your low-water garden thrive year after year. Learn more at the Resource Central website.

Your HOA must allow residents to use xeriscape landscaping if they so choose. SB13-183 states that HOAs are prohibited from creating restricting covenants that forbid xeriscape or drought tolerant vegetation or require ground covering consisting of only turf. Additionally, HOAs cannot levy fines or violations for failure to water turf when drought restrictions are in place.

It is important to note that the homeowner cannot dump a truck load of rock in their yard and call it Xeriscape, nor allow their landscape to die due to neglect. HOAs may adopt and enforce design or aesthetic rules that require drought-tolerant vegetative landscapes or regulate the type, number and placement of drought-tolerant plantings and hardscapes that may be installed on the unit owner’s property.

Check out some examples of projects HOAs in Longmont have done in partnership with Community and Neighborhood Resources. View the project library, or learn more about Community and Neighborhood Resources.

Homeowners can legally use rain barrels in Colorado according to HB16-1005, which passed in August 2016. Use is allowed under the following provisions:

• Single family or multifamily (with four or fewer units) may collect precipitation off their roof into a rain barrel.
• The water collected must be used on the property where it was collected, and it can only be used for outdoor purposes, such as lawn watering and gardening.
• Rain barrels must have a seal-able lid and be located above ground.
• No more than two rain barrels with a combined capacity of 110 gallons or less.
• Homeowner’s Associations (HOAs) may not prohibit rain barrels.
• Collected water may not be used for drinking or indoor use.