Tips for Conserving Water

How Residential Water Use Breaks Down

Although water use may vary somewhat from family to family, here is how the typical American family uses water:

• Showers and Baths 20%
• Potable Uses 9%
• Clothes and Dish Washing 16%
• Toilets 19%
• Lawns & Gardens 36%

The biggest potential for water conservation occurs in the areas that see the greatest use. Examine these areas first. It's also important to verify that your system as a whole is free from leaks. If your water meter doesn't read the same amount at the start and end of any given two hour period where no water is being used, you may have a leak.

Indoors

Showers and Baths (20%)

1. Take shorter showers and replace your showerhead with an ultra-low-flow head. Low-flow heads use an average of 3.5 gallons per minutes less than regular heads. There are currently units available that allow you to cut down the flow without adjusting the temperature knobs.

2. It takes about 25 gallons to fill a bathtub up halfway, so use the least amount of water you can when taking a bath. Try filling the tub 1/3 full to start. Close the drain before running the water to get it hot. You'll be able to add additional hot water later if you need it.

3. Don't let the water run while shaving or brushing your teeth.

4. When adjusting the water temperature, decrease the water flow instead of increasing it to change the temperature. For example, if you want to increase the amount of hot water, turn down" the flow of cold water instead of turning up" the hot water.

5. Replace worn out water heaters with new hot water-on-demand models and make sure to keep your water pipes insulated.

Toilets (19%)

1. Test your toilet tank for leaks by adding food coloring to the tank and waiting 15-20 minutes. If your tank is leaking, color will usually appear. Replace any worn out or corroded parts, including sticky flush handles. Most parts are cheap and easy to install yourself. Make sure you flush your toilet after this test to avoid staining your tank.

2. Don't use your toilet like a trash can. Dispose of tissues and other waste (for quick wipe-ups or catching bugs) in the garbage. Your toilet takes 5 to 7 gallons of water each time you flush.

3. You can install inexpensive toilet dams to reduce the amount of water used with each flush.

Clothes and Dish Washing (16%)

Dishes washed by hand should be quickly rinsed under a low stream from the faucet, not rinsed in a large basin of water.

1. Retrofit all high-use household faucets with aerators and flow restrictors.

2. Use dishwashers and clothes washers only when they are fully loaded or set for the proper size load.

3. Dishes washed by hand should be quickly rinsed under a low stream from the faucet, not rinsed in a large basin of water.

4. Reduce the use of garbage disposals by composting kitchen waste. For households with septic systems, garbage disposals can also add as much as 50% to the volume of solids in the septic tank.

Potable Uses (9%)

1. Keep a pitcher of ice water in the fridge rather than letting water run every time you want a cold glass of water.

2. Thaw meat and other foods in the refrigerator or microwave instead of running them under cold water.

3. Use dirty fish tank water on houseplants or in the garden.

Outdoors

Lawns & Gardens (36%)

1. Water your lawn only when you need to (every 5 to 7 days in the summer and every 10-14 days in the winter). Water in the early morning hours when temperatures and winds are lowest to avoid losing water to evaporation.

2. Install a drip irrigation system or use soakers hoses. They are much more efficient at delivering water than conventional sprinkler systems. Check to make sure systems and timing devices are working properly and that your system is equipped with a rain sensor device that overrides the system when adequate rainfall occurs. Check to see that all hoses and spigots are in good working order.

3. Landscape with drought tolerant native plant species, including drought resistant grasses, ground covers, shrubs and trees.

4. Position your irrigation systems in a way that you are not watering your sidewalks and driveway. Sweep up debris with a broom instead of spraying down sidewalks and driveways with the hose.

5. If you wash your car, do it on the grass to reduce run off or use a car wash that recycles gray water.

6. Raise the blades on your lawn mower to a height of three inches or more. This will encourage grass roots to grow deeper and increase your lawns capacity to hold in moisture.

7. Where appropriate, mulch around garden plants to help them retain moisture. Avoid over-fertilizing the lawn and garden, it increases the need for water.

8. Use garden fountains and water features that recycle water and locate them away from areas of high wind to avoid evaporation losses.

There are hundreds of other ways to save water-and even if the savings are small, every drop counts. Encourage your friends, neighbors and employers practice water conservation, and support projects that create awareness and promote reuse.

About The Author:
Ellen Brown is our Green Living and Gardening Expert. Click here to ask Ellen a question! Ellen Brown is an environmental writer and photographer and the owner of Sustainable Media, an environmental media company that specializes in helping businesses and organizations promote eco-friendly products and services. Contact her on the web at http://www.sustainable-media.com

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