The days are getting progressively longer, flowers are in bloom, and the city of Cortez is reminding residents of the “do’s” and “don’ts” with summer on the horizon.
Homes within city limits must remove “undesirable plants, including Russian, spotted and diffuse knapweeds and leafy spurge,” a city news release reads.
Lawns and grass must be trimmed, kept below 6 inches.
Such efforts keeps “Cortez beautiful and weed-free,” and also conserves water, the news release said.
There are two types of water restrictions: Voluntary and mandatory.
- Voluntary restrictions: These are enforced from April 1 to Oct. 31 each year. Property owners are asked “to limit yard watering from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on specific days determined by the numerical day and the house number,” the news release reads. Odd home addresses water on odd days, even ones water on even days. Nobody waters on the 31st.
- Mandatory restrictions: Effective May 15, yard watering is prohibited from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“Lawns should be watered in the early morning between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. or late evening between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m.,” a 2022 water conservation document for the city reads.
That’s because “most water evaporates during the heat of day.”
That document also encourages people to water thoroughly twice a week, wetting the soil 4 to 6 inches deep “with several days between watering” to develop “deep, solid roots.”
The city’s Turf Replacement Program, which started two years ago, is back and welcomes applications until Sept. 1.
“This program incentivizes property owners to replace non-functional turf and landscaping plants with qualifying alternatives,” like native plants, for instance, the news release reads.
During summer, a significant amount of water goes to keeping lawns and landscapes green. In fact, water use more than doubles from winter to summer in Cortez.
The Turf Replacement Program aims to curb this high water use by encouraging alternatives like xeriscapes or a “Garden In A Box,” which is “a kit created to replace sections of nonfunctional lawns,” the program’s website reads.
When installing sprinkler, boiler or fire suppression systems, residents “are required to obtain a permit and install a testable backflow prevention system to protect … our domestic drinking water,” the news release said.
Such systems are installed at cross-connections, which are “any point in a water distribution system where chemical, biological or radiological contaminates may come into contact with potable water,” Cortez city’s website reads.
The Business Beautification and Cortez Graffiti Cleanup Grants are both accepting applications. For more information on those, reach out to Rachael Marchbanks at rmarchbanks@cortezco.gov or Helen West at hwest@cortezco.gov, or visit the Business Incentives section on Cortez’s website.
Third Thursdays will be back at Montezuma Park in Cortez from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on June 19, July 17, Aug. 21 and Sept. 18. As always, there will be vendors, live music, dancing, food and drink at the event sponsored by First National Bank in Cortez.
There’s vendor space still available; if you’re interested, reserve your space online on the city website.
