At work (outdoors):

• Don't water your lawn or flowers in the heat of the day.  Water in the early morning and the evenings.
• Don't water the sidewalks, driveways and gutters.  Hand water problem areas.
• Don't let the hose run when you wash the car.  Use a bucket and sponge, then rinse with the hose using a hand controlled nozzle.

Home sprinkler tips:

• Run times: Schedule short run times for spray systems.  Three to five minutes is usually enough for one session.  To determine how much you can water before runoff occurs, turn the system on and time how long it takes before water runs off or puddles in low low spots.  Water late at night or in the early morning hours to reduce evaporation losses.
• Cycling: As the weather gets hotter avoid the temptation to increase run times.  Instead, schedule more start times with one or two hours in between to allow the water from the previous session to soak in before water again.  This will allow deeper infiltration while reducing or eliminating run off.
• Days on: Even during our hottest months we don't need to water daily.  Give your plants a chance to breathe.
• Programs: Different areas of your landscape have different water requirements.  Shrubs need much les water than lawns and drip systems should never be scheduled on the same program with lawns.  Use the multiple function of your timer to establish separate watering schedules for those areas.
• Timers: Different timers have different capabilities.  If your timer has less than three start times and two programs consider upgrading.