Ease, access and a chance for $50 – now that’s a great gift

The hectic holidays are right around the corner! With celebrations, family and gift-giving as the priorities, fumbling with bills should be the least of your worries. But, keeping track of your water bill can be as easy as clicking a button.

With H20access, you can access your account and bill online 24/7. Opt-in for paperless billing and you won’t need to be afraid of losing that bill in all the wrapping paper. You can also be sure the payment was received and not delayed at the post office with all those holiday cards.

Plus, Castle Rock Water is giving away a $50 water credit to 10 random customers who have opted-in for paperless billing before Nov. 30. Current paperless customers are eligible too. It's the perfect gift during this chaotic season.

Protecting your trees

Trees are a big investment and giving them a little TLC during the winter is needed to help them stay healthy -especially for young or thin-barked trees.

Our bright, sunny winter days can sometimes mimic the warm days of spring.Then, as the temperatures drop at night, the warmed water and nutrients in the tree will freeze, burst and cause the bark to split. This is called sunscald or southwest injury and not only damages the plant tissues, but invites pests and disease.

It's recommended to wrap tree trunks with a light colored, crepe-paper type tree wrap for the winter. Start at the base of the trunk and work up to the base of the branches. Plastic type products are not tree wrap and should be removed as they can trap ice and moisture next to the trunk. Remove this winter blanket in the spring, after the last frost. Also, remember to mulch at least annually to keep those roots protected.

Put that snow to good use

Plants need moisture during the winter too. When shoveling the driveway and sidewalk, all of that snow should go into the yard, not the street. As the snow melts, it will provide winter watering that is extremely beneficial to your plants.

Also, shoveling snow into the street can cause ice build-up. Remember, if you use products to melt the ice, residuals should be swept up between snow events.