Seminole County homeowner says free irrigation check cut her water bill

A Seminole County homeowner said a county-run, free irrigation evaluation found a broken pipe and changes to her sprinkler schedule that brought her water bill back down after it had nearly doubled.

"My last couple bills had gone up, almost doubled," Lisa, a Seminole County homeowner, said. After an inspection and adjustments — including a new start time on her controller — she said, "What I noticed in the last 2 months is that the bill has come back down, way down, from where it was, and that was great to see. So I know it's working."

The county's free irrigation evaluation program is available to Seminole County utility customers. According to the program description in the segment, a licensed irrigation professional schedules a free visit to check the controller and timer settings, rain sensors, sprinkler coverage and to look for leaks, broken or faulty sprinkler heads and other inefficiencies that can waste water. If a faulty rain sensor is found, technicians can install a new one and recommend watering schedules or system improvements.

During a demonstration of the homeowner's system, the homeowner observed the controller's new start time set to 2 a.m., which she said helped reduce unnecessary watering. The narrator in the segment said the program focuses on identifying leaks and other issues that drive up water consumption.

The homeowner volunteered for the evaluation after noticing unusually high household water use and discovering a broken pipe and irrigation malfunction. The segment did not provide exact dollar amounts, enrollment steps or sign-up contact details for the program.

Seminole County's free irrigation evaluation is presented in the segment as a low-cost way for utility customers to identify leaks and adjust irrigation systems to save water and reduce bills. The segment did not record any formal actions, vote or further county statements about program expansion.