Water Resource Management and Conservation

Water Conservation in Your Home
(These tips brought to you by the American Water Works Association)

The water you use is carefully processed to be clean, safe, and piped directly into your home, a valuable resource that shouldn't be wasted.  The high-quality water that we need and expect in our homes is not an infinite resource.  Conserving water benefits you and all those around you.  Besides, you are paying for every drop, whether it is used or wasted.  So conservation can benefit your pocketbook, too.

There are 4 places where you can save a lot of water in your home: Bathroom, Kitchen, Laundry, and anywhere you find a leak.  You can also conserve by installing water-saving fixtures and knowing how to prevent a catastrophic leak.

1) Bathrooms: More than 50% of the water used in an average home is used in the bathroom.

• Toilets: Every time you flush your toilet, about 7 gallons of water goes to the sewer.  To conserve water, don't use the toilet for flushing down garbage--put tissues, gum wrappers, cigarette butts, diapers, or anything else into a wastebasket that is trash, and reduce the water per flush by reducing the displacement of water in the tank.  Instead of using a brick, which can disintegrate after a while, try filling a plastic soap or laundry bottle to add weight and place it in the tank--being careful not to jam the flushing mechanism.  If you have to double flush to make the toilet work, try a smaller sized plastic bottle.
• Showers, Bathtubs, and Sinks: Most showers pour out between 5 and 10 gallons of water per minute and most people take 10 to 20 minute showers.  The water use adds up quickly!  Cut down on the time you spend in the shower and install low-flow shower heads, which cut the flow of water to about 1.25 gallons per minute.  When shaving and brushing your teeth, turn the water off until you need more.

2) Kitchen: You can conserve water in your kitchen without sacrificing taste or cleanliness.

• Automatic Dishwashers: Dishwashers use the most water in your kitchen with about 12 gallons per run.  Make sure the dishwasher is full before you run it.  Scrape dishes clean and let the dishwasher do the rest instead of rinsing them in the sink beforehand.
• Sinks: If you wash dishes by hand, do not run the water as you wash.  Also put a stopper in the sink for washing vegetables.  Instead of running water until it is cold to fill your glass, fill a jug with water and place it in the refrigerator so you have cold water when you want it.

3) Laundry: Washing machines use 40 or more gallons of water per load--whether it is fully loaded or not.  Remember to save laundry for a full load and adjust the settings if you are able.

4) Leaks: A slow drip can add up to 15 or 20 gallons a day, while a pinhole size facet leak wastes 100 gallons in 24 hours!

• Toilets: Toilets are notorious for their hidden leaks.  Leaks occur when they are out of adjustment or when parts are worn. Sometimes there are leaks in the overflow pipe or the arm needs adjusted, or the valve itself may need replaced. Another place where water is wasted in a toilet is if there is a plunger ball leak.  Plunger ball leaks are harder to detect.  The best way to check is by dropping a little food coloring into a tank full of clear water and waiting to see if the color shows up in the bowl.  If it does, you probably have a leak at the plunger ball, either because the ball needs replacing or the mechanism is out of alignment.
• Faucets: Aside from toilets, most leaks are found in faucets and are caused by worn washers.  Check all of the faucets in your house once or twice a year for drips. 
• Checking for leaks: Your water meter is the best leak detector in your home.  Turn everything off carefully, so no water is being used anywhere in the house.  Check the position of the meter dial for about 15 minutes.  If it hasn't moved, you have a relatively watertight home.  But if it has, start checking connections, faucets, and toilets.

Water Saving Devices
There are many different types of water saving devices on the market.  You can save thousands of gallons annually by replacing old inefficient fixtures and appliances with ones designed to conserve water.

Shutoff Valves and Emergencies
Water heaters have been known to blow out and pipes have been known to burst.  Occasionally, a faucet becomes a fountain.  When this happens, you will want to know how to turn everything off before a great deal of water is wasted and your home is damaged.  Find the main shutoff valve that turns off water to your whole house.  It is usually located where the water pipe comes into the house.  Check to see if you have a main shutoff valve that works, and if it doesn't, make sure it gets fixed before you need to operate it.

Water Conservation Outside Your Home
Your garden hose can pour out 600 gallons of water or more in just a few hours!  Thousands of gallons can be wasted in just a short time.  Here are some tips for outdoor use to conserve water and use it more efficiently.

• Watering Your Lawn: Water when the grass or plants show signs of needing it.  Try not to over water your lawn or garden.  Water when it is cool and early in the morning, so demand is low and it doesn't evaporate.  Avoid watering on windy days so it stays on the lawn.  Let the water sink in slowly and deep, so the lawn develops deeper roots and becomes more resistant to disease and wear.
• Washing Your Car: Use a bucket for soapy water and the hose only for rinsing.

Try Xeriscaping
A xeriscape (pronounced Zer-i-scape) means "landscaping for water conservation." It relies on the idea that you use plants that require less water and are local to the region.  You can also decorate creatively with interesting objects that need no water at all, such as rocks, bricks, benches, gravel, and deck areas.  Xeriscaping isn't a garden, it is a system and when implemented well, can help with both water conservation and stormwater management.