On a hot day last week, as I was biking to work just before noon, I heard the familiar whirr of a lawn sprinkler diligently working its way across my neighbor’s long, lush green lawn. Watering your lawn at the hottest part of the day is never a great idea because evaporation rates go up with heat. You may as well wait until evening when it’s cooler out.

Better yet, use a rain gauge to measure how much rain your lawn is getting. Your lawn needs only 2.5 cm (one inch) of rain water per week to be healthy and green. I picked up a rain gauge from the City of Calgary's Water Services booth at the Lilac Festival, but you can also make one yourself. With the amount of rain we’ve been getting, setting up the sprinkler might be watery overkill!

Rain barrels can also help you save water. Green Calgary has them ranging in price from $85.00 for a regular blue plastic barrel to $195.00 for the deluxe old-fashioned looking oak rain barrel. By catching and using water from your roof you’ll be reducing demand for treated water and cutting down on water waste. Click here to read more rain barrel tips from the City of Calgary’s Water Services department.