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Water Conservation

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Lawn Watering Tips
 

  • Water in the early morning or evening. If you sprinkle your lawn under the hot sun, you'll lose as much as 30 percent of your water to evaporation.
  • Lawns can only absorb water so fast. It's better to water your lawn for three 10 minute sessions-with each session a half-hour apart than it is to water steadily for 30 minutes and cause run-off.
  • Landscaping that stresses, proper soil preparation, efficient irrigation and the use of water stingy plants means less maintenance and lower water usage.
  • Keep grass at least two inches high to shade roots and hold moisture.
  • Use mulch around plants to reduce evaporation and promote growth.
  • Water trees slowly, deeply and infrequently to encourage deep rooting.


Inside Tips
 

  • Dripping faucets and leaky toilets account for a large portion of home water waste.
  • Bathing is the second highest use of indoor water, a five minute shower is all that is needed.
  • The toilet is a big guzzler of indoor water. Installing an ultra-low flow (1.6 gal/flush) toilet is an excellent way of reducing flows.
  • Install low flow (2.2 glas/minute) aerators on bathroom and kitchen faucets.
  • Run the dishwasher and washing machine only when they are full.
  • Keep a pitcher of drinking water in the refrigerator.


Outdoor Tips
 

  • Use a broom to clean the driveway.
  • Adjust your sprinklers so that the lawn is watered but not the driveway or the house.
  • When washing the car use biodegradable soap and water from a bucket of hose with a shut-off nozzle.


Common Water Uses
 

  • Clothes Washing - 133 - 189 liters per load (30-42 gal)
  • Dish Washing (by hand) - 38 liters per meal (8 gal)
  • Dish Washing (dishwasher) - 227 liters per load (49 gal)
  • Showering - 19 - 23 liters per minute (4-5 gal)
  • Showering - (low flow head) - 9.5 liters per minute (2 gal)
  • Washing hands - 8 liters (1.8 gal)
  • Brushing teeth (water running) - 8-15 liters (1.8-3.3 gal)
  • Car washing - 380 liters per car (84 gal)
  • Yard washing - 19-38 liters per minute (4-8 gal)
  • Flushing toilet (Standard) - 22 liters per flush (5 gal)
  • Flushing toilet (water-saver model) - 13 liters per flush (3 gal)
  • Flushing toilet (low consumption model) - 6 liters per flush (1.3 gal)


Bathroom
 

  • A dripping faucet may waste up to 800 liters (175 gal) of water per week.
  • Check pipe and faucets for leaks.
  • Turn off the water when brushing teeth or shaving.
  • Replace old showerhead with a good quality high efficiency showerhead.
  • Limit showers to five minutes.
  • Check your toilet for leaks by placing dye tablets in the toilet tank and check the bowl for traces of color after 15 minutes.
  • Place a 2 liter plastic bottle filled with water in the toilet tank.
  • Stop using your toilet as a waste basket.


Kitchen and Laundry Tips
 

  • Install water efficient faucets aerators.
  • Run your dishwasher and washing machines only when they are full.
  • When washing dishes by hand, don't let the water run freely to rinse. Fill up the second side of your sink with rinse water.
  • Keep a pitcher of drinking water in your refrigerator.
  • Typically at least 50% of water consumed by households is used outdoors.
  • Use a broom when cleaning the driveway.
  • Water your lawn no more than every third day.
  • Adjust your sprinklers so the lawn is watered and not the house or the sidewalk.
  • Check your house air-conditioning source seasonally.
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