|
|
 Steps
you can take inside your home . . .
|
|
-
Install a water-saver toilet that
uses only 1.6 gallons of water per flush.
-
Don’t use the toilet as a waste
basket.
-
Turn the water off while shaving,
brushing your teeth or washing up.
-
Limit showers to five minutes,
consider bathing small children together.
-
Store a pitcher of water in the
refrigerator for drinking so you won’t have to let the faucet run to
get cold water.
-
Run your dishwashers and washing
machines only when they are full.
-
Check every faucet in your house for
leaks. A single dripping
faucet can waste far more water in a single day than one person needs
for drinking in an entire week.
|
 Steps
you can take outside your home . . . |
|
-
Mulch around flowers, vegetables gardens and trees to
conserve as much moisture as possible.
-
Plant native species of plants that survive under low
water conditions
-
Adjust sprinklers so only the lawn is being watered, not
the house, sidewalk or street. Don’t
water on windy days.
-
Set your irrigation system to run in the early morning or
late evening, when the water is less likely to be lost due to
evaporation or wind.
-
Use a broom instead of a hose to clean sidewalks,
driveways and patios.
-
Take your car to a commercial car wash that recycles its
water instead of washing you car at home.
A commercial car wash uses water more efficiently and you’ll
be protecting our water resources from dirty, soapy water that flushes
down the storm drain in your street straight into our water.
|
 Will
the steps I take make a difference?
|
|
Sure! This table shows you that some very simple
choices and habit changes can help with water conservation.
|
Activity |
Normal
use |
Conserving
Water |
|
|
|
| Showering |
50
gallons @ 5gal/minute |
Low-flow
showerhead saves 25 gallons @ 2.5gal/minute |
|
|
|
| Shaving |
20+
gallons with the tap running continuously |
Less
than 1 gallon using a full or half full sink |
|
|
|
| Teeth |
3+
gallons with the tap running continuously |
¼
gallon with tap turned off during brushing |
|
|
|
| Dishwasher |
16
gallons with the full cycle wash |
8-9
gallons using the light wash cycles |
|
|
|
|
As an example let’s say the average man shaves
and showers once each day and brushes his teeth twice each day. He washes dishes twice a week.
|
|
|
Normal
weekly use: |
Conserving
Water weekly use: |
| Showering
is 350 gallons |
Showering
is 175 gallons |
| Shaving
is 140 gallons |
Shaving
is 5 gallons |
| Brushing
teeth is 42 gallons |
Brushing
teeth is 3 1/2 gallons |
| Dishwasher
is 32 gallons |
Dishwasher
is 17 gallons |
| Yearly
use = 29,329 gallons |
Yearly
use = 10,426 gallons |
|
