It often surprises people that in our region water is a limited resource, something that needs to be conserved.

We’re part of Minnesota. It’s known as the Land of 10,000 Lakes and the Land of Sky Blue Waters. It creates a perception that water is abundant all throughout the state.

Our southwest corner actually has water scarcity issues. It’s one of the reasons we have limited amounts of industry.

We’re a wet and dry landscape. Sometimes we get too much rain. This year we had a rain event that produced three inches. That’s too much in a short amount of time. It leads to water in basements.

At other times we’re too dry. This spring and early summer we’ve been blessed with a good amount of rain. It’s kept things green.

It wouldn’t surprise me, however, if things dry out near the end of the summer. We typically have less rain in July and August.

If that happens we’ll probably start to see a few lawn sprinklers. I saw a couple of them this month when we had about 10 days without rain.

I’ve noticed a change in lawn sprinkling in my lifetime. I remember a time when almost everyone watered the lawn. You could drive down a street and almost every house on the odd or even side (depending on the day) had a sprinkler in operation.

Now many people are more likely to let nature determine whether or not the lawn stays green. It’s probably a more sensible approach.

I’ve never understood the quest for a perfect lawn, the way some homeowners invest a lot of time and money to make their lawn just right.

It’s just plain old grass. The grass can go dormant, turn brown and survive. It’s only during a very dry year that grass could be in danger and that a little watering becomes necessary. In those situations it’s best to give the lawn a good soak about every 10 days.

I think one reason for a decline in the amount of sprinkling is that people are much more aware of how water is a limited resource. Also it’s expensive.

People in 2024 have high costs of living. The lawn is one area where someone can save. The result might not be perfect, but it might be good enough to qualify as OK.

It’s up to each individual. If some people want to spend more money on water, they can water the lawn on a regular basis. The odd-even plan works well when it gets dry by making sure that everyone isn’t watering at once.

I used to enjoy my parents sprinklers when I was growing up. They were the next best thing to having a swimming pool at home.

There was nothing better than cold sprinkler water on a hot summer day. It was fun to run through the sprinkler, plan volleyball in it and ride my bike past it on the sidewalk.

It was even fun to go right up to the sprinkler nozzle, lean down, and completely soak your head. I didn’t mind getting wet.

I don’t see kids running through sprinklers as much anymore. Maybe they’ve got so many organized activities each day that they don’t have time. Maybe they’re using the Aquatic Center or the YMCA.

Back in the 1970s, our lawn probably got more water than it needed when my sister and I played in the sprinkler, but we had fun. We didn’t think about the cost of water. My parents always took care of that.

No matter how much things change in the future, water will always be one of our most important resources. It’s vital that we manage it wisely. We can’t just rely on city officials to do all the water management. We also need to make good decisions as consumers.

— Jim Muchlinski is a longtime reporter and contributor to the Marshall Independent