The San Diego County Water Authority has issued a request for increased conservation efforts during hot summer weather. Just as we try to conserve electricity to avoid blackouts, residents and businesses should conserve water during hot summer days to avoid water shortages.

Higher temperatures mean demand for treated water will also increase. Cooperative conservation efforts by businesses and residents in San Diego County will help manage the availability of treated water supplies during hot weather.

Here are four easy conservation steps to help reduce water use:

1. Set schedules to irrigate during off-peak hours between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.

2. Skip one day of watering during the week or water during the weekend during this hot spell and when ever the temperatures rise, such as during Santa Ana conditions.

3. Check the soil’s moisture level before watering and only water if needed. Remember trees and shrubs generally need less water than grass.

4. Avoid filling pools, spas and fountains while its hot, and only fill on weekends.

Here are some long-term steps to help conserve year-round:

5. Use the Landscape Calculator at www.sandiego.gov/water/conservation to set a water saving irrigation schedule.

6. Use the percent adjust key on your irrigation timer to reduce your irrigation cycle. Visit the Watering Index at www.bewaterwise.com/.

7. Check & adjust your irrigation system and timers at least once a month. Fix all problems promptly.

8. Replace unused turf with low-water use plants and appropriate irrigation parts.

9. Upgrade the irrigation system to include new, high-efficiency equipment such as weather-based irrigation controllers. GO TO: www.sdcwa.org/manage/conservation-overview.phtml

10. Check the back-up batteries in your timer and replace with fresh batteries twice a year such as during the daylight-savings time change.

For additional conservation information go to: www.sdcwa.org/manage/conservation-overview.phtml .