[gfmucci]

I am accustomed to having my own irrigation well and pump and being able to control it all through an automatic timer set for specific days, hours, etc. depending on the needs of the lawn, rainfall, etc. I'm guessing that system cost me about $20/month for electricity, and about $200 to replace the pump every 5 years - about $3.30 per month.

My understanding of the system and rules in TV is...

The irrigation system is neighborhood wide using a separate piping system from the potable water that is provide to the house.

Each house has a separate timer for when irrigation comes on and the duration.

Billing for irrigation water is on a sliding scale.* The lowest per gallon rate is for the lowest consumption level.* When consumtion exceeds certain thresholds, cost per gallon increases.* This is to encourage conservation.

Each house has a rain sensor that turns the system off when it rains a certain amount.

It hasn't rained for 30 days I'm told by my house watching service.* We are still pretty much in the drought continuing from last year.*

We still have water restrictions that limit irrigation to maximum days/hours per week - I'm not sure of the limitations since I'm not a resident yet.

QUESTIONS:

1) New lawns (i.e. less than 6 months old) need lots of water to get established.* How much latitude is there in the duration of watering allowed by the restrictions?

2) How does the cost of water in this TV irrigation system compare to costs you are accustomed to?* Do most of you stay in the lower tier of the rate schedule?

3) Do you find that you are able to irrigate your lawn adequately given the use restrictions and costs?

Our lawn is Empire Zoysia which I understand has relatively low water needs.