What is a drought?
Drought is defined as a period of abnormally dry and/or unusually hot weather sufficiently prolonged for the corresponding deficiency of water to cause a serious hydrologic imbalance.
Learn more from the Minnesota DNR >
Drought warning
With 52 percent of Minnesota now experiencing severe drought and 4 percent experiencing extreme drought, the state has entered the drought warning phase. With this designation, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and others are taking additional steps.
Brooklyn Park and other cities are asking residents to take additional steps to conserve water.
What can I do?
Conservation tips
Brooklyn Park staff has compiled tips and resources for saving water and energy.
Check out our water conservation tips >
Odd/even watering
Brooklyn Park has odd/even lawn watering restrictions in effect May 1 through September 30, every year. Residents with even-numbered addresses may water on even-numbered days; odd-numbered addresses may water on odd-numbered days.
We recommend:
- Water during the cool part of the day, early morning hours (4 am to 10 am) are best. Avoid the middle of the day when it is hot and sunny to prevent burning the grass.
- Water one inch per week (including rain) to maintain a healthy lawn.
- Avoid peak water-use hours (4-10 p.m.). Do not water overnight, as it can promote disease and affect the health of your lawn.
- A good soaking once or twice a week is better than watering every day. The soil should dry between watering to allow deep root growth, making the grass more drought tolerant.
Water efficiency rebates
The City of Brooklyn Park is making it easier for residents to save on their water bills with a new Water Efficiency Rebate Program.
Irrigation controllers, washing machines and toilets
Purchase and install a WaterSense certified toilet beginning January 1, 2020 and get $50 back. Get $100 back on a WaterSense certified irrigation system controller. An Energy Star certified washing machine qualifies for a $50 rebate.
Learn more and apply for the rebate program >
Efficient Water Softener Program
Residents of Brooklyn Park need to buy and install a demand-initiated water softener. Only appliances bought on or after January 1, 2020, are eligible for rebates.
Learn more and apply for the water softener program >
Resources
Fix a Leak resources
The average household’s leaks can account for nearly 10,000 gallons of water wasted every year and ten percent of homes have leaks that waste 90 gallons or more per day. Common types of leaks found in the home are worn toilet flappers, dripping faucets, and other leaking valves.
These types of leaks are often easy to fix, requiring only a few tools and hardware that can pay for themselves in water savings. Fixing easily corrected household water leaks can save homeowners about 10 percent on their water bills. Learn more from the EPA >
Here are some tips for fixing leaks: