The current drought conditions in South Carolina underscore the importance of water conservation and responsible irrigation of our island lawns and landscaping. Now is the time to check your irrigation system and its settings to make sure that you are watering effectively and efficiently. 

Hilton Head PSD partners with the Clemson University Extension Service to provide customer education about responsible lawn care and landscaping in the Lowcountry. Clemson has several websites to help you learn more about responsible irrigation and landscape management. Below are the links to these valuable resources: 

 www.clemson.edu/cyn Clemson’s Carolina Yards and Neighborhoods program has practical and comprehensive information on how to irrigate and landscape responsibly.  

 http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic Clemson’s Home and Garden Information Center is the resource for all of your horticulture and landscaping questions.  

 www.clemson.edu/extension This website is the home base for Clemson’s statewide Extension Service system. 

 www.clemson.edu/beaufort Beaufort County’s Clemson Extension Service office can be found at this website. Or contact their office at (843) 470-3655.

Here are some tips from the Clemson University Extension Service about responsible irrigation:

• Design and maintain a yard that thrives predominantly on rainfall once plants are established.
• Most established trees and shrubs need watering only during times of drought.
• Water your lawn and other plants only when they show signs of stress.
• Comply with the Town of Hilton Head Island’s irrigation ordinance. (See below.)
• Calibrate your sprinklers to apply 1/2 to 3/4 inch of water per application.
• Mow lawns high to encourage a deeper, more drought and pest tolerant root system. The higher cut also shades out weeds. Cut no more than 1/3 the height of grass blades with each mowing.
• Put a rain gauge in your yard to track rainfall to avoid unnecessary watering.
• Connect an automatic rain shut-off device to your sprinkler system's timer. Set the device to 1/2 inch so it will override your system's timer when enough rain has fallen. Replace back-up batteries in your system's timer each year before the rainy season. Check to see if the shut-off device is working properly.
• Design or modify your sprinkler system to water lawn areas separately from plant beds requiring less water.
• Use a drip or micro-spray irrigation system to more efficiently water plant and flower beds.

Conservation Inside Your Home

Indoors, please consider standard conservation measures such as limiting shower durations, running full loads in dishwashers and washing machines, and turning off the faucet when brushing your teeth. For great ideas on home water conservation, please visit www.h2ouse.org.

Additionally, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provides a wealth of information about water conservation at its WaterSense website, http://epa.gov/watersense. 

Hilton Head Island’s Local Irrigation Law 

Hilton Head PSD believes it is each property owner’s duty to irrigate responsibly in order to conserve our greatest natural resource – water. The Town of Hilton Head Island has adopted an irrigation ordinance, and the PSD strongly encourages property owners to adhere to this local law.

Below is the text of the Town’s irrigation ordinance: 

Town of Hilton Head Island Municipal Code Sec. 17-10-211. Exterior landscape irrigation restricted. 

Exterior landscape irrigation is hereby limited to the following days for all customers within the town limits, as follows: 

(1)   Detached, single-family residential with even-numbered address:  Exterior landscape irrigation is permitted for customers having an even-numbered address on Tuesdays and Saturdays only.   

(2)   Detached, single-family residential with odd-numbered address:  Exterior landscape irrigation is permitted for customers having an odd-numbered address on Wednesdays and Sundays only.   

(3)   Commercial/office/institutional hotels and motels on a separately platted lot of record:  Exterior landscape irrigation is permitted for customers on Mondays and Thursdays only.   

(4)   Common areas and locations having no street address, box number or rural route number:  Exterior landscape irrigation is permitted for customers on Mondays and Thursdays only.   

            Hilton Head PSD is here to help you with any questions or concerns you have about water conservation. To contact us, simply send us an email at info@hhpsd.com, or call our Customer Service Center at (843) 681-5525. Remember, We’re All in it Together!