Water Efficiency
Responsible Lawn Care & Irrigation
Carolina Yards
Clemson Extension’s Carolina Yards program seeks to work with residents in creating healthy, watershed-friendly landscapes. Use simple and effective gardening methods to help guide you towards a low maintenance yard that works with nature, rather than against it.
The South Carolina Native Plant Society
The South Carolina Native Plant Society is a non-profit organization committed to the preservation and protection of native plant communities in South Carolina. They work to make this happen by providing programs and activities including field trips, plant rescues, native plant sales, monthly educational lectures and educational journals designed to:
• Educate and inform members and the general public about the importance of native plants
• Support efforts by government agencies to protect habitats and endangered species
• Encourage the use of native plant materials in public and private landscaping
• Promote the commercial availability of native plant materials
Help more people come to understand and appreciate the vital role native plant species play in the health and sustainability of our natural ecosystem!
Home and Garden Information Center
Clemson’s Home and Garden Information Center is the resource for all of your horticulture and landscaping questions.
College of Agriculture, Forestry & Agriculture
Clemson Extension helps improve the quality of life of all South Carolinians by providing unbiased, research-based information through an array of public outreach programs in youth development; agribusiness; agriculture; food, nutrition and health; and natural resources.
Beaufort County Cooperative Extension
Beaufort County’s Clemson Extension Service office can be found at this website. Or contact their office at (843) 470-5109. Clemson Extension employs Extension Agents who work closely with state extension specialists and researchers located on campus and at the various research and education centers located across the state. Your local Extension Agents provide expertise in Agribusiness, Agronomy, Food Safety & Nutrition, Horticulture, Livestock & Forages, Forestry and Wildlife Resources, Water Resources, and 4-H and Youth Development.
Tips for 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.
- 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.
- Comply with the Town of Hilton Head Island’s irrigation ordinance.
- Use a drip or micro-spray irrigation system to more efficiently water plant and flower beds.
EFFIciency inside your home
Indoors, please consider standard efficiency measures such as limiting shower durations, running full loads in dishwashers and washing machines, and turning off the faucet when brushing your teeth. Here are some resources to help:
- EPA WaterSense: Hilton Head PSD is a U.S. EPA WaterSense Partner Utility. WaterSense is a program that seeks to protect the future of our nation’s water supply by offering people easy ways to use less water. Visit this site for a wide array of information about water-efficient products and practices.
- Environmental Protection Agency: The U.S. EPA’s official website for all things related to water in the United States.
- H2OUSE: This fun website is a great source for residential water efficiency ideas.
- SCDHEC: The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control’s Bureau of Water works to ensure high quality drinkable, fishable and swimmable waters throughout South Carolina.
- American Water Works Association: Hilton Head PSD is a member of the American Water Works Association (AWWA), the world’s largest nonprofit, scientific and educational association dedicated to managing and treating water.
- The Water Environment Federation (WEF): A research and leadership organization that champions innovation and leverages knowledge to support clean and safe water worldwide.
- Alliance for Water Efficiency: Hilton Head PSD is a member of the Alliance for Water Efficiency, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the efficient and sustainable use of water.
- Lowcountry Rain Gardens: This community service project of the Hilton Head-Bluffton Leadership Class of 2010 provides information about creating your own rain garden to save water and make beneficial use of rain water.
How much water do you use?
Home water conservation is easy once you understand how and where you can use less. The quick and easy Water Calculator shows you which water uses in your home are efficient and which are not and offers simple conservation tips that save water and energy.
PSD efficiency news
Hilton Head PSD Commission candidate filing notice
The Hilton Head Public Service District (PSD) Commission will have four seats up for election during the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. One
Freezing temps and your water service
The National Weather Service is forecasting near- or below freezing temperatures overnight in the Hilton Head Public Service District (PSD) service area through Sunday. Customers
Annual temporary change of the drinking water treatment method and flush water lines
Beaufort-Jasper Water and Sewer Authority (BJWSA), Hilton Head Public Service District (HHPSD) and Broad Creek Public Service District (BCPSD) are conducting our annual temporary change
hilton head island's local irrigation laws
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 both a rain sensor ordinance and a local irrigation ordinance, and the PSD strongly encourages property owners to adhere to these local laws.
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Any customer who installs a new exterior landscape irrigation system, in whole or in part after March 16, 1992, shall install a rain sensor on that irrigation system.
- Hilton Head PSD is here to help you with any questions or concerns you have about water efficiency. To contact us, simply send us an email at [email protected], or call our Customer Service Center at (843) 681-5525.
Hilton Head PSD At-A-Glance
Learn more about how Hilton Head PSD operates, where our water comes from and information on our programs.
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