Time to fall back into water conservation

A week after switching from daylight saving time, are your sprinklers still operating on the old time and on summer cycles?

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is encouraging homeowners to consider rolling back the use of garden sprinklers now that plants and lawns are less thirsty because of the cooling weather.

Before switching off those sprinklers, however, switch on the computer, because the district has a new Internet-accessible sprinkler calculator and sprinkler index on its Web site (mwdh2o.com) to help with your water conservation efforts.

The virtual calculator, developed by the city of San Diego, is designed to help users customize watering needs. By entering your ZIP Code, landscape areas, plant and grass types and soil condition, the calculator can come up with a 12-month watering guide.

The goal: To save water and money. The district, a cooperative of 26 cities and water agencies serving six counties, maintains that by reducing outdoor water use by 10%, residents on average can save about $225 a year.

The sprinkler index is based on data that gauge the amount of moisture lost to the atmosphere. The index, which is updated weekly, is designed for those with automated sprinklers that require a number to be input to set watering times in one step.