By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

Annual outdoor watering restrictions in Hays will begin Thu., June 1 and remain in effect through Sat., Sept. 30. Outside watering will be prohibited between 12 noon and 7 p.m., when evaporation is at its peak. The directive affects city water customers and those with private water wells.

One exception to the restriction is a watering permit for a lawn newly planted with warm-season grass.

“We’re just in our prime time for buffalo and Bermuda grass. The soil temperature is warming up,” said Jason Riegel, Hays Water Conservation Specialist. “That stuff likes the heat.”

The city is again offering a “Cash For Grass” rebate program.

The program will pay $1 per square foot up to $1,000 per property for the conversion of well-maintained cool-season grass to a less-water intensive type landscape. Artificial turf is eligible as well as xeriscaping with mulch and rocks, and warm-season grasses such as buffalo and Bermuda.

Buffalo grass, a species native to the High Plains, has many benefits. It needs 73% less water than cool-season fescue (seen extensively in Hays)  thanks to its deep root structure. It also boasts less fertilizer and mowing needs than cool-season grasses.

Both residential and commercial properties may apply for the program. There are a few rebates available for properties using a private property well, according to Riegel.

“The first year of the program we didn’t allow private well users. But in the last couple of years we decided to allow a limited number. We definitely don’t see as much water savings, of course. We have no way of metering that water,” he explained.

Residents interested in the rebate program need to have their property pre-inspected.

“We’ll come by and talk, take some measurements and let you know how much you’ll be eligible for,” Riegel said.

More information is available on the city’s website, www.haysusa.com, or calling Riegel at (785) 628-7350.