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Outdoor Water Use Facts

As expected, the amount of water used for outdoor purposes (primarily irrigation) is positively related to the size of the lot and the percentage of the lot that is irrigable landscape.

The following are other specific interpretations of the results of the outdoor end use model:
  • Homes with in-ground sprinkler systems use 35 percent more water outdoors than those who do not have an in-ground system
  • Households that employ an automatic timer to control their irrigation systems used 47 percent more water outdoors than those that do not
  • Households with drip irrigation systems use 16 percent more water outdoors than those without drip irrigation systems
  • Households who water with a hand-held hose use 33 percent less water outdoors than other households
  • Households who maintain a garden use 30 percent more water outdoors than those without a garden
  • Households with access to another, non-utility, water source displayed 25 percent lower outdoor use than those who used only utility-supplied water
  • On average, homes with swimming pools are estimated to use more than twice as much water outdoors than homes without swimming pools, everything else held constant.