There’s always that neighbor who has the best lawn on the block. Shy of asking what his/her secret is, you try endlessly to get it right. More water, more fertilizer, power rakes and twice-a-year aeration. You adjust your irrigation spray nozzles, only to find them watering the pavement. Then there are the brown spots, and it seems to get a bit worse every year.
You CAN overcome this. 
The City of Greeley offers free irrigation audits to residents. Why? Because the city is just as invested in conserving water as you are in saving money on your water bill. Who wouldn’t be up for this if it meant lowering that summer watering bill?
An irrigation audit isn’t as difficult or time-consuming as it sounds. The City’s Water Conservation Specialist, Kevin Hartley, comes to your door and you can expect he’ll be there for about an hour.
First, he sets your automatic sprinkler system to run each zone for a couple of minutes so he can examine what your spray nozzles are doing and the coverage your lawn is getting. Next, he puts out cans throughout your yard. These cans catch the amount of water that is sprayed on your yard, measuring how much output your sprinkler heads give.
All along, Hartley punches these numbers into a special program he designed to give you an eventual plan and schedule to make the most use of your outdoor watering. Along the way, he helps explain and provide answers to your burning questions. He’ll suggest you most definitely should water your trees in the winter. He’ll talk of the importance of taking care of your lawn -- without having to use fertilizer. He’ll even show you how your sprinkler heads should be working, and when you should be watering.
By following our audit recommendations, you’ll conserve water — and you should see not only a lower water bill but also a healthier lawn. Our studies have shown that residential customers are 13 percent more efficient and commercial customers 16 percent more efficient after an irrigation audit.
Visit our Water Audit page here to sign up for this free program.