Albuquerque water authority asks residents to limit sprinklers to two days

The Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority is asking residents to limit sprinkler irrigation to two days per week. The request comes as the authority works to meet its annual water conservation target through its voluntary “Water by the Numbers” program.

“Cooler nights and shorter days mean less irrigation is required to keep lawns healthy,” said Barbara Baca, chair of the authority’s Governing Board.

“Ramping down our use now will help to ensure that the community meets its annual conservation goal,” Baca said.

Overall water use this year is up about 4% from last year, according to water authority staff. Usage through August totaled 54,481 acre-feet, or about 18 billion gallons, which translates to 125 gallons per person per day. The annual conservation goal, set in the authority’s long-term resource management plan called WATER 2120, is 131 gallons per capita per day.

Authority staff said the rise in use could be tied to drier and warmer conditions. The water authority measured August rainfall at 3.48 inches, compared with 4.09 inches last year. Normal rainfall is 5.68 inches. This August ran about two to three degrees warmer than last August.

Residents can learn more about the “Water by the Numbers” program online.