Municipalities should consider making policies requiring rain sensors on all new irrigation systems. On lawns where the soil is predominately clay, water losses due to runoff are common. This is due to the low infiltration rates of fine textured soils. A MCPD controller can be set to run for short periods, several times per day. This will allow the homeowner to apply the volume of water required by the turfgrass on a given day without loosing water to runoff.
Regular maintenance is required of all irrigation systems.
Since many homeowners have their systems programmed to operate during the night, they do not have the chance to observe problems with the system. Lost or broken heads and misalignment of heads onto streets or sidewalks often result in the direct loss of applied water from the landscape. By taking the time to turn on the system several times during the year and looking for problems and then making the necessary corrections water may be conserved. Last, cities and water districts should take the time to educate their customers about the need for water conservation in the landscape all year long. Enacting water use restrictions only when the water supplies are becoming low, does not encourage water conservation in the landscape.