Take the Water IQ pledge to save water, and you could win two round-trip airline tickets, courtesy of Southwest Airlines.

The good news is that reducing your water use doesn't take that much effort. If each of us in Central Texas and the Hill Country reduces his or her water use by just 10 percent, we can make our water supplies last longer and serve more people.

Here are five easy tips for saving water:

● Follow your water utility’s recommended watering schedule. An average quarter-acre lot uses 2,000 to 3,000 gallons of water each time the sprinkler system is turned on. Overwatering your lawn can waste thousands of gallons each month.

● Water your lawn early in the morning or late in the evening. Midday watering results in fast evaporation and scorches your lawn and plants.

● Know how to operate your in-ground sprinkler system controller. If you know it’s going to rain, turn it off for the day, or consider installing a rain shut-off sensor or device. Check sprinkler systems frequently for directional aim and broken heads to prevent watering driveways, sidewalks and streets.

● Use plenty of mulch in your plant beds. Experts recommend from 2 to 6 inches to prevent evaporation and keep soil moist.

● Check for leaks in taps, pipes and hoses. It’s an easy way to save water. One slow drip can waste 20 gallons of water daily. (That adds up to 7,000 gallons per year.)

Visit Water IQ for additional water-saving tips, and to take a quiz to measure your Water IQ.

Don't overwater your lawn .

Turn off your sprinkler on
rainy days.