A new study finds that one way we can save water is just by posting a sign. But more about that in a second.

Many industrial locations in the U.S. are in suburban and rural areas of the country. Often these locations have some lawn - a green area - to not only enhance the appearance of the facility, but to provide workers and staff a place to eat lunch, take a break, or even have an outdoor conference

A service may be called in to mow lawns and trim bushes. But as to the actual irrigation of these green areas, many industrial locations turn to automated systems that irrigate vegetation at specific times and days or have a staff member irrigate vegetation so many times per week/month. Typically, they follow any local regulations that may require irrigation only on certain days or at certain times. These are found in about thirty states.

However, these restrictions may not be enough to reduce water consumption. A lawn typically needs about one inch of water per week. To give you an idea of how much water this is, a tiny lawn, say one hundred square feet, requires approximately sixty-two gallons of water each week.

But the average lawn in the U.S. is 2,500 square feet. This means it takes 155,000 gallons of water every week to water that lawn. That totals over eight million gallons of water each year just to irrigate that green area.

While these day/time water restrictions may be helping – somewhat - they are not making the dent in water consumption that many water utility companies had hoped for. To find a solution to this situation, researchers at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) conducted a test.

They selected a residential community in Florida and put together a program referred to as “The Rain-Watered Lawn” pilot program. The goal was to determine if weather-based water conservation strategies were more effective than the mandatory, specific day/specific time water restrictions currently in place.

The test included 627 households divided into two groups: 321 households were designated the experimental group and 306 the control group. The control group continued to observe the water restrictions in place but made no other changes.

What the researchers did was simple. Throughout the experimental neighborhoods, they placed road signs. The road signs would change regularly, indicating how much rainfall had occurred in the past seven days; remind homeowners that most Florida lawns only needed to be irritated about once per week, and would include the following message at the bottom of the sign:

“Is rainfall alone meeting the water needs of your lawn?"

The researchers also sent out postcards to the experimental group, just to make sure they understood the information on the signs. However, they were informed that existing day/time water restrictions were still in place, and nothing had been modified.

After several weeks, the researchers started gathering data. What they found was that in the summer months, when this region of Florida received the most water, there was, what was termed, an “astonishing” 61 percent decrease in lawn watering in the experimental group from the start, saving millions of gallons of water per week.  There were no such changes in the control group.

Further, the experimental group continued to use about 41 percent less water than the control group throughout the test period. This indicated that a water conservation pattern had been developed. While the experimental group still followed the day/time restrictions, what they paid closer attention to was whether their lawns needed irrigation.

The Bigger Picture to Saving Water

The researchers suggested that their findings have more significant ramifications than might initially be realized. "This program has the added benefit of getting people more in tune with the natural water cycle, which might help [water users] prepare for changes in water supply and water policy,” said Ata Sarajedini, Ph.D., dean of FAU's Charles E. Schmidt College of Science.

Does this mean we could post similar signs in, for instance, the restrooms of industrial facilities - where the second largest amount of water is consumed in a facility – updating them on water conditions and urging them to use water more efficiently?

The researchers believe the answer is yes. They say the signs created “a greater sense of environmental stewardship that could be tied to everyday activities,” all of which could help reduce water consumption in industrial restrooms and throughout the facility, potentially reducing water consumption.

A frequent speaker and author on water conservation issues, Klaus Reichardt, is founder and CEO of Waterless Co. Inc., based in Vista, Calif. Reichardt founded the company in 1991 with the goal of establishing a new market segment in the plumbing fixture industry with water efficiency in mind. Along with the Waterless No-Flush urinal, which works entirely without water, the company manufactures other restroom and plumbing related products.