Got a fountain in your landscape? You can now enjoy the soothing sounds of it — and other water features — while kicking back in your garden watching the wildlife revel in it, too.
Residential water features can run anytime, even during drought restrictions. Still, while enjoying your fountain, pond, waterfall or stream, remember they do use valuable water. And, depending on the size and location, they may use more than necessary. Consider these factors when planning and operating your water feature:
- Orient your water feature so that both sun and wind are minimal; at the very least, aim for placement in late afternoon shade.
- Use a watering can or gallon jug to refill the basin of your water feature no more than twice a week.
- Don’t use a hose or an auto-refill device to replace evaporated water; automatic devices frequently overfill or fall into disrepair and it’s dangerous to place a hose into a vessel of non-potable water (including swimming pools) due to contamination risk.
Ideally, we discourage operating fountains at all during drought restrictions. But with a few simple steps, you can minimize the amount of discretionary water used and still enjoy the soothing benefits of landscape water features.
