(Lawrenceville, Ga., June 10, 2011) - With the arrival of hot weather, County officials want to remind residents that outdoor watering is allowed seven days a week but not between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. under both state law and county ordinances. "That's because much of the water is likely to evaporate in the heat before it soaks in," said Jim Scarbrough of Gwinnett's Water Resources department. "It's okay to water gardens and newly planted landscaping anytime but wasting water is always a waste."

For all other outdoor usage such as filling swimming pools and non-commercial car and power washing, residents must follow the odd/even schedule. Even and un-numbered addresses may use water on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, while odd addresses may use water on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays; no addresses may use water on Fridays.

Applying more than an inch of water to a lawn in a single sprinkling is usually wasteful and most lawn grasses need only an inch per week, according to Scarbrough. Although the drought of recent years is over, he stressed that saving water also saves energy because the water system uses many large electrically operated pumps. The costs of producing and distributing clean water show up on the customer's water bill. In addition, Scarbrough reminds water customers that power companies use large amounts of water in the production of electricity, therefore using less power will also conserve water.

Gwinnett's water customers have reduced water use over the past decade by following state restrictions, fixing leaks and installing low-flow toilets and fixtures. Peak usage so far this year was 98 million gallons in one day, according to Acting Director Lynn Smarr.

Residents should program their irrigation systems to comply with current watering restrictions and the water needs of turf grasses, Scarbrough said. More information is available online at www.gwinnetth2o.com.