BEND, OR -- As we head into summer, the city of Bend reminds people to try and conserve water where you can, especially when watering lawns. Governor Kate Brown issued a drought declaration for Deschutes County last month, but that currently isn't changing the usual water restrictions for residents. 

Mike Buettner, Water Conservation Manager for the city of Bend tells KBND, "We're not enacting any mandatory watering restrictions now, outside those that already exist. Those are designated irrigation days and hours. So, if you're a city of Bend Water customer, we still have even/odd days: If your address ends in an odd number, you should only be irrigating on an odd number day. And, we don't allow irrigation between the hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. We really want people to irrigate during the nighttime hours, if at all possible."

Buettner says the best way to conserve water is to look for ways to reduce irrigation usage. He says a significant portion of the city's water use comes from irrigation. "Water use over the course of the year really spikes in June, July and August for us here in the city. A significant portion of our water use comes during these three months, largely due to irrigation. What we want people to do is to go out and make sure irrigation systems are properly aligned, make sure you're not spraying the sidewalk or the street. And, make sure you're only applying as much water as needed."