Conserve/protect drinking/groundwater resources by creating a water-wise landscaping ordinance/guidance, WaterSense purchasing program, or guidance on rainwater harvesting and home water softener use.
Best Practice of this action
Rating Guideline
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Provide education/information on lawn watering and home water conservation and rain barrels; summarize watering ordinance but report conservation rate structures and dynamic user feedback under action 20.7, rain gutter disconnects from sewers under action 20.3, education about home water softeners under 20.4 |
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Report residential water use under 75 gal/capita/day; modify and adopt a model landscaping ordinance that encourages low water-use landscaping; assist owners of irrigation systems to install the state-required rain/moisture sensors; report water-use reductions; become a WaterSense Partner. |
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Create and report on a rebate or feebate program to promote purchases of WaterSense- and/or Energy Star-rated appliances, to promote water softener upgrades (report under 20.4); review building water conservation strategies during development reviews; as code allows facilitate household/building site rainwater harvesting/reuse; prohibit city water from supplying lawn irrigation systems. |
Resources
- Water utilities report water conservation efforts and outcomes via an annual report to MN DNR's MPARS (MN Permitting and Reporting System). The Metropolitan Council Water Conservation Toolbox is a one-stop shop for resources and has extensive tips and resources for water customers and water suppliers. See also Greening Lawn Irrigation - a toolkit for Cities seeking to engage homeowners in water conservation through improved lawn care practices (Resilient Communities Project, University of MN: 2015) and Water Wisely: Start in your own backyard (UofM extension: 2020) or reserve the UofM Extension Irrigation Efficiency Trailer. Note that research in MN shows that odd/even watering ordinances do not decrease consumption, but a Monday/Thursday, Tuesday/Friday ordinance does (by cutting allowed days of watering by 33%).
- The Metropolitan Council in cooperation with the UofM Extension is conducting a Lawn Irrigation Efficiency Study (2021) to increase the efficiency of water use in home landscapes by conducting site assessments, research and demonstration projects focusing on smart irrigation practices.
- Landscaping and Maintenance of Vegetation from Minnesota's 2009 Model Ordinances for Sustainable Development.
- See WaterSense and EnergyStar appliances, especially WaterSense-labeled weather-based irrigation controllers, a type of "smart" irrigation control technology that uses local weather data and soil moisture sensors to determine when and how much to water.
- For example, the city of Medina prohibits lawn irrigation systems from being connected to the city water supply. Instead, property owners may utilize stormwater ponds sometimes supplemented with private water wells, whose siting within a city can be restricted/prohibited by the city. MN Dept. of Natural Resources' records of private water wells are kept but, in relation to a city understanding whether aquifer water withdrawals are sustainable, generally only draws for larger wells (using over 10,000 gallons/day or more than 1 million gallons/year) are reported to the state. Flow metering and reporting for smaller wells may be required if they fall within a designated groundwater management area.
- Salt, used in home water softeners, passes through waste water plants to rivers and lakes, where it has toxic effects on fish and other aquatic organisms, and where it permanently and irreversibly contaminates groundwater. Short of expensive reverse osmosis, there is no feasible way to remove salt from wastewater. Options are central softening of drinking water and encouraging residents to take steps to reduce water softener salt use, including launching a rebate program for residents to optimize, upgrade or remove their softeners.
- Cities can use funding/resources from the 2019 Lawns to Legumes program focused on planting residential lawns with native vegetation and pollinator friendly forbs and legumes to protect a diversity of pollinators including the state Rusty Patched Bumblebee.
Order Number
5
Action Type
Finite