Eco-razzy : Person on my street whose sprinkler flooded the sidewalk

Yes, person on my street whose sprinkler flooded the sidewalk and sprinkler users everywhere we agree with this mouse lemur: You Suck!

A newly described species of mouse lemur (Microcebus mittermeieri).
Photo by: Mark Thiessen/National Geographic Society   Graphics by: The Endangered Species Print Project


Not only did your flooding of the sidewalk with a 2 inch pool of water under a constant sprinkler shower make it rather difficult for me to walk past your house, in an attempt to avoid the waterworks, I rolled my ankle, spraining it badly. That's right, I hope the cement in front of your home has been growing/blooming/whatever you thought it would do if you watered it because right now I'm wearing an ankle brace on my stretched tendons and can't run or bike for 3 weeks. I repeat: You Suck!

As I sat on your neighbor's stairs watching your sprinkler sprinkle a cascade of water onto your porch, the resulting waterfall flowing down your front steps,  the growing pool on the sidewalk, a squirrel first drinking then sort of paddling through it, I was flooded with anger.

Outraged not only for my own sorry situation ( a foot that could not support my weight let alone wade up your the steps to kick your door in and break your ankles, err, ask you politely to turn of your sprinkler and begin bailing out the side walk) but for our very planet.

Plenty of humans lack clean water to drink, to cook or bathe with, yet sprinkler users everywhere see fit to water cement. In fact water-borne diseases from unsanitary water are one of the leading causes of death world wide. Water diverted for human use leaves marshes, bogs, woodlands and all the flora and fauna who reside within diminished. Despite these unsettling realities, according to the EPA:

"An American family of four can use 400 gallons of water per day, and about 30 percent of that is devoted to outdoor uses. More than half of that outdoor water is used for watering lawns and gardens. Nationwide, landscape irrigation is estimated to account for almost one-third of all residential water use, totaling more than 7 billion gallons per day."

Water is a finite resource, sprinkler users, use it wisely and use it sparingly.  How about a quick spritz with the hose instead of hours of running a sprinkler while you watch TV, or hey- just wait for it to rain!  Better yet try planting native plants that are adapted to your local climate and will thrive without much care (more time for TV), or try xeriscaping.

The cool thing about where we live- it's a planet that can take care of itself! The natural world known as planet Earth can nourish what grows on it if humans would just get out of it's way. And P.S. it's the only planet we've got.

For more tips on water-smart yards visit the EPA's Watersense site. Please.

Using a sprinkler is a waste of water even for a garden, but for sidewalks, porches, non-living objects of every variety it is a goddess-forsaken tragedy. :P

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