Indoor water conservation can be simple once you understand where and how you can use less. Follow the resources below to learn where your use is efficient, and where there's room to save. 

Use & Maintenance

Familiarize yourself with your plumbing equipment. Know what to look for when it comes to routine tune-ups that could help save water and money. Find your Winter Quarter Average (WQA), or how much water you use outside of irrigation season during December-January. Your WQA will give insight on how much water you use indoors and determine your sewer rate for the year.

Calculator - Water Calculator | Home Water Works (home-water-works.org)

Indoors Brochure – WaterwiseBrochureIndoors

Practical Plumbing Guide (Free in office) - National Practical Plumbing Handbook | Alliance for Water Efficiency

Conservation Technology

Take steps each day to save water and protect the environment by choosing WaterSense labeled products in your home, yard, and business.  

EPA Toilet Guide

EPA Faucet Guide

EPA Shower Head Guide

Largely due to irrigation, the average Bend homeowner uses more water outdoors than they do indoors. Therefore, it is important to ensure the water used for irrigation is without waste. 

Design & Installation

Always have an irrigation plan when starting a new landscape or re-designing an old one. Behind most beautiful landscapes in the city of Bend is an efficient, properly installed irrigation system.

Hunter: Run Time Calculator - Hunter Run Time Calculator (hunterindustries.com)

Rain Bird Drip (Run Time) Calculator – Product Selection Guide Calculator | Rain Bird

Hunter: Drip Calculator – Hunter Dripline Calculator | Hunter Industries

WaterWise Irrigation Guide – City of BendIrrigationGuide

Maintenance 

Conducting regular system inspections. Making routine irrigation schedule adjustments and ensuring that no irrigation is over-spraying or running off onto adjacent surfaces is the responsibility of the system owner. Avoid the “set it and forget it” mentality and manage water carefully in the landscape. 

Common Irrigation Fixes – Easy Fixes to Common Irrigation Problems

Common Irrigation Fixes (Spanish) – Common Irrigation Problems - Spanish.pdf

Winterizing –  Winterize Water Pipes - YouTube

EPA Sprinkler Spruce Up – Spruce Up Your Sprinkler System in Four Easy Steps - YouTube

EPA Sprinkler Spruce Up (Spanish) – Mejora tu sistema de riego en cuatro pasos sencillos - YouTube

Smart Irrigation 

Irrigation systems are becoming more efficient and more technologically advanced. Smart Controllers can automatically adjust runtimes to match changes in weather and provide remote access from your smartphone. There are an increasing number of affordable irrigation system upgrades, including pressure regulating sprinkler bodies, high-efficiency nozzles, and soil sensors that can save water, money, and time. 

EPA Drip Irrigation Guide – Drip Irrigation Guide

EPA Pressure Regulating Heads – Pressure Regulation Equipment

EPA Soil Sensors – Soil Sensor Fact Sheet

EPA Weather Based – WaterSmart Weather-Based Irrigation Controllers

Bend's landscapes are diverse. The resources below provide guidance and information so that whatever landscape choices you’re making, you have the tools to transform it to one that is more water efficient. 

Maintenance

Whether mowing, composting, pruning, etc., regular maintenance is essential to the continued growth, health, and attractiveness of a landscape.

Lawn Care Brochure – Waterwise Lawn Care Brochure

Outdoor Brochure – Waterwise Brochure - Outdoors

Plants 

Plantings help reduce storm water run-off, decrease pollutants, add property value, create habitat, and keep our public spaces cool. Select plants that are appropriate for Bend’s climate and, that meet your use needs. 

OSU High Desert Plant Guide – OSU Water-Wise Gardening In Central Oregon Guide

Hollinshead Demo Garden - Hollinshead Water-wise Garden - YouTube

Design

Integrate ideas from the resources below during the planning and design of your landscape to achieve a functional, beautiful, and WaterWise space for outdoor living.

WaterWise Landscape Guide – Bend WaterWise Landscape Guide

WaterWise Streetscape Guide –  City of Bend Streetscape Guide.pdf

Oregon Watershed Approach Design Guide -  Oregon Watershed Approach to Landscape Design Guide

Oregon Rain Garden Guide - The Oregon Rain Garden Guide | Oregon Sea Grant | Oregon State University