Every Salem water customer needs to be smart about water use.

Water consumption spikes up more than 40 percent in the summertime to peaks of 55 million gallons per day (MGD). That translates to an extra 20 million gallons each day as people keep their lawns green and wash their cars clean.

In an effort to conserve water the City is once again asking its residents to reduce water use in the summer so we never exceed 50 million gallons per day.

How can we meet this goal? We have noticed people tend to OVER water their lawns. So, we are asking Salem residents to join the One Inch per Week campaign.

Lawns need only one-inch of water each week to stay healthy and green. More than that is a waste of drinking water—a luxury that Salem citizens cannot afford.

To help people join the One Inch per Week lawn watering campaign, we will again be giving out free One Inch per Week lawn watering gauges. These nifty items are available by calling the Water Quality Hotline at 503-588-6323.

Salem businesses have already taken the lead to reduce water use. Salem water officials are meeting with business groups to ask their members to follow the One Inch per Week guideline with landscaping and to help us get the word to employees about the need to use water wisely at home. We hope businesses will continue to find ways to cut water use at work.