Landscape Watering Tips

As a result of Broomfield’s high elevation, midlatitude and geographic location, Broomfield has a cool, dry climate, meaning we do not get a lot of natural precipitation every year. This means most of the green grasses and dense foliage in the City and County of Broomfield is, at some point, artificially watered. However, CCOB encourages residents to do so efficiently.

Saving water doesn’t have to mean sacrificing a healthy landscape. Follow these tips for watering your lawn and other plants:

Water two to three times per week.

Watering deeply twice a week will make grass roots grow deeper and that makes them more drought tolerant. Even in the middle of summer, you don’t need to water your lawn more than three times per week.

Cycle and soak to prevent runoff.

Cycle and soak is a method of irrigation where water is applied in multiple, short cycles, allowing the water to soak into the soil and prevent runoff. This promotes deeper roots and healthier plants. Here’s a short guide from Colorado Springs Utilities and a video from Castle Rock Water.

Water during cooler times of the day.

Watering when it’s hot or windy causes a lot of the water to evaporate before reaching the roots of your lawn, trees and plants. It is best to water before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m.

If it rains enough to soak your lawn, shut off your sprinkler system for a day or two.

As a rule of thumb, if a screwdriver can be easily inserted 3 to 4 inches into the ground you don’t need to water. A WaterSense-certified weather-based smart controller will adjust your sprinklers automatically based on the weather and you can get a rebate for one.

Repair sprinkler leaks and adjust your sprinklers.

Watch for broken sprinkler heads or damaged sprinkler lines that waste water. Repair leaks quickly. Adjust your sprinklers so they don’t spray your driveway or sidewalks. You can get a free sprinkler evaluation from Broomfield and Resource Central.

Let grass grow longer before you cut it.

Raise your lawnmower blade and protect your lawn from heat by letting grass grow longer.

Wait to start your sprinkler system.

Leaving lawns dormant longer into the Spring saves water and will not harm your lawn. Wait until May to start up your sprinkler system. Hand water trees and shrubs as needed when dry conditions persist.

Misuse of Treated Water Ordinance

Did you know Broomfield’s Misuse of Treated Water Ordinance prohibits wasting or otherwise misusing treated water? Irrigating your landscape so that excessive amounts of water runoff onto sidewalks and streets is considered misuse of water.

Water Efficiency Information

In an effort to conserve existing water resources and maximize Broomfield’s future water supply, the Water Resources Division is committed to developing and maintaining a robust Water Efficiency program.

Additional Guidance on Landscape Irrigation

The guidelines above will help you irrigate efficiently. But if you manage a large property or if you have a complex property with different landscapes and slopes facing different directions, more detailed guidance will help you optimize your sprinkler system. If you have questions, you can contact Broomfield’s parks irrigation staff at parks@broomfield.org.

Additional guides include: 

Contact Water Resources Staff 

Do you have questions about water conservation? Or have you seen water waste in the community that you want to report? You can email Water Resources at conservation@broomfield.org.