You know the saying “the grass is always greener on the other side?” Well, with all the water that’s being sprayed on the north end of campus, it ought to be.

When walking past the Fondren Science Building in the past few weeks, students have had to dodge more than just the maze of cords and signs warning that photosynthesis is in process. Now there’s a giant lawn sprinkler to deal with.

For all that this university does right in maintaining the landscaping of our beautiful campus, the daily watering of the grass in the science quad is somewhat unusual.

As the summer wanes, Texas is slowly emerging from the grips of its usual drought. The city of Dallas has been under water restrictions that prohibit citizens from watering their lawns between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. to help conserve watering by using it more efficiently.

Nevertheless, on several days every week the sprinkler is dragged out onto the lawn in the heat of the noon sun. Sometimes it’s allowed to sit and spew, creating huge puddles on areas with relatively little grass.

While SMU is not subject to the watering restrictions because it falls within the boundaries of University Park, which had no restrictions of its own this summer, these guidelines are set up for a reason. During this hottest part of the day, over half of the water sprayed onto a lawn is lost to evaporation and wind drift. Watering is best done in the early morning hours when humidity is high and wind speeds are low.

(And, well, it is a bit ironic that this is going on under the noses of the only students on campus likely to understand the concept.)

Even though, the university isn’t required to restrict their watering times, by ignoring the science valuable water resources are needlessly wasted.