What's Your Water IQ?

Find out how much you know about water—and how to save it—by taking this quick quiz. At the end you’ll receive your Water IQ score and learn what you can do to raise it (unless, of course, you’re a water genius and get them all right).

1. The Ogallala Aquifer is:

A. A bottled water sold at coffee shops
B. The source of groundwater for 15 Southern High Plains counties
C. Hard to say five times fast
D. A legendary water monster that rivals Nessie in striking fear into the heart of Americans

2. The High Plains Underwater Water District is asking everyone to use just 10 percent less water. Lowering your water use by just 10 percent will:

Kill your lawn
Help make our water supply last
Immediately end the drought
Mean you can’t take showers on Tuesdays

3. Watering daily is the only way to maintain a healthy lawn.

True
False

4. The best sprinklers shoot high, fine sprays, which mist your landscape without wasting water.

True
False

5. Which plants are considered drought tolerant and require less water?

A. Lantana
B. Tulips
C. Rosemary
D. A and C

6. If it rains, the drought will be over, and everyone can use as much water as they want.

True
False

7. Which of these tips will help save water around your home and raise your Water IQ?

Only water your lawn about 1-½ inches a week
Water only before 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m. – never during the middle of the day
Operate your in-ground sprinkler system manually instead of using the timer
Use soaker hoses to water beds, shrubs and trees
All of the above

8. Operating sprinkler systems with an automatic timer helps save water.

True
False

9. The average home irrigation or lawn sprinkler system uses how many gallons of water every time it runs?

100 to 200 gallons
2,000 to 3,000 gallons
More than 5,000 gallons

10. Raising the blade on your lawnmower to keep mowed grass taller helps save water.

True
False

11. How much water can a leaky faucet, tap or hose waste in just one day?

1 cup
1 gallon
20 gallons
1,000 gallons

12. The depth of your soil does not have an effect on how much water you should use to water your lawn.

True
False

13. The Ogallala Aquifer provides water to:

The City of Lubbock
The High Plains
Portions of Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming and South Dakota
All of the above

14. Outdoor irrigation – caring for lawns and gardens – uses the most water for the typical home.

True
False

15. What is the source for most of the drinking water in the Southern High Plains?

Desalination
Water gnomes
The convenience store
The Ogallala Aquifer
The faucet