During the summer months, many smart homeowners turn their thoughts from indoor to outdoor home improvement projects. But outdoor ventures like new lawns, landscaping and gardening can be among the biggest water-wasters around.

Water is an important resource that needs to be used more efficiently or even reused to contribute to the overall high performance of a home. Just as green building combines tried and true strategies with more sophisticated, high-tech approaches to improve the performance of buildings, green irrigation strategies can transform your home from a water-waster to a high-performance, water-efficient structure.

Having grown up in Pennsylvania, I was amazed at the prolific use of water for irrigation purposes when I moved to the West Coast years ago. Although the western states always seemed to be in a long-term drought, the use of water for irrigation purposes never seemed to stop or even slow down.

Every year there are more news stories about some area out west being the fastest growing region of the country, and the development continues seemingly without regard for the amount of water needed for landscape irrigation. In fact, I know of one municipality that actually requires the use of non-native landscape in developments!

Yes, water use reduction is a passion of mine, so this month I've decided to talk about some common sense ways to reduce water use for irrigation. Here goes.

Common-Sense Practices
The general intent of responsible landscape design is to create a landscape that maximizes the use of on-site natural resources, enabling the property to be as self-sufficient as possible. Limiting or even eliminating the use of potable water for landscape and gardening irrigation purposes is a major component of this strategy.

There are many ways to reduce potable water use that either cost very little or will provide a rapid payback for the investment made. Common-sense practices you can use include the following:

Select appropriate plant material. Choosing plants, trees and groundcover that are native or have been adapted to your area not only saves water but also adds to the beauty of your home by helping your property blend into the surrounding area. Climate-tolerant plants can thrive on the amount of rainfall your area normally receives, so little or no irrigation is required.

Other than reduced water use, the biggest benefit derived from using this strategy is that you'll have a low-maintenance yard. I used to spend all of my free time cutting and trimming my lawn until I went native. Low-water-use plant materials require less irrigation and fertilizing, and less maintenance time, so you'll have extra free time to spend with the family or watching baseball.

Install water-efficient irrigation systems. The use of high-efficiency irrigation equipment is the most technology-advanced way to ensure water use reduction in your landscape design. Strategies include the use of "drip" or micro-irrigation systems, moisture monitors, rain shut-off valves and weather-sensitive "evapotranspiration" controllers. These systems ensure that only the required amount of water is applied, it's applied only when needed and it's applied directly to the locations where it will be used. Combinations of these systems can save more than 50 percent of the water typically used for irrigation.

Harvest rainwater. My grandfather had a large underground concrete tank buried in his yard to which he directed the water from his rain gutters. He would then pump the water out to irrigate his garden and lawn all summer long. This was a typical practice in many areas of the country years ago, but somehow we got away from these types of common sense strategies as homebuilders and developers tapped into easily accessible "city water" sources. Water became viewed as unlimited in supply, as it was delivered conveniently and at a low cost.

It's time to get back to basics. Rainwater can be collected from roofs, patios, sidewalks and other paved areas, then filtered and stored in tanks to be used for irrigation. Many attractive above- and below-ground containers are available that can be used for rainwater collection, including UV-protected barrels made in the United States from 100-percent recycled plastic. This strategy also helps with long-term maintenance of your home by diverting water away from your building and foundation, and eliminating the dumping of uncontrolled rainwater into your yard.

Collect and use gray water. Although gray water collection requires the installation of additional plumbing systems, this is one strategy that will contribute to rapid payback and an overall feeling of doing the right thing. Gray water comes from all water-using fixtures in your home except for toilets and kitchen sinks. Fortunately, I've heard that many municipalities are now encouraging gray water collection, and several builders are installing gray water plumbing systems as part of their new home offerings. In fact, by spending only a few extra dollars on piping, you can save more than 80 percent of the typical amount of wastewater leaving your home!

Use recycled water. Many municipalities offer the use of recycled water through city-provided recycled water lines. This is the type of city-provided water that makes sense to use for irrigation purposes. Check with your local municipality (or the one you're thinking of moving to) to see if recycled water is available. If not, get involved to see what needs to be done to spur development of city-provided recycled water in your area.

I believe that water is a unique, precious resource that we must conserve. Without a constant, safe supply of potable water, all development will stop and life as we know it will end. But believe it or not, almost every time I've been in a project meeting and a discussion about water-saving strategies is put on the table, it is met with resistance. It's that "either/or" mentality that we must overcome in order to make a positive influence on the world of construction. Through proper design and construction of our buildings and surrounding areas, we can create a win-win situation that is good for development while also being good for the environment.

Charlie Popeck is the president of Green Ideas Environmental Building Consultants and a contributing editor to Smart HomeOwner. Green Ideas specializes in helping design, construction and facility management teams understand and implement building science and sustainability
into their projects. He can be
reached at 602-512-0557 or
Charlie@Egreenideas.com.