Tips for Water Conservation

Facts and Figures

75% of the earth's surface is covered by water. At least 97% of the world's water is too salty for humans, most animals, and plants. Another 2% is either polluted, glacial ice, or otherwise inaccessible and undrinkable. Which leaves use with approximately 1% of the earth's water available to support life.
The bathroom accounts for 75% of the water used inside the home. The toilet is the biggest single water-guzzler.
STOP LEAKS! In one year, a leak of one drip per second wastes 10,000 L (2,167 gal.) of water, that's enough to fill more than 60 bathtubs!
During the summer months water use can more than double, mainly due to lawn and garden watering.

Install low consumption toilets and other water-saving plumbing fixtures in new construction and remodeling projects.
Do not let the faucet flow while brushing your teeth, try using a glass of water for rinsing your teeth.
Rinse your razor in the sink! Before shaving, partially fill the sink with warm water. This will rinse the blade just as well and use less water.
Don't shower too long or fill the tub too full. Five minutes for showering and about five inches in the tub is plenty.
If your shower has a single-handle control shut off valve, turn the follow off while soaping and shampooing.

Pre-rinsing dishes prior to loading them in the dishwasher is an unnecessary use of water. If you are washing the dishes by hand and have a double sink, fill up the other side with rinse water.
When you are cleaning your fruits and vegetables, plug the sink with clean water instead of rinsing under running water. Save the rinse water for watering your plants.
Steam vegetables on the stove or in the microwave to reduce the amount of cooking water required.

When purchasing an automatic clothes washer, consider water consumption as well as energy efficiency. Most manufacturers now provide this information to consumers.
If your washing machine has an adjustable water-level indicator, set the dial to use the proper water level or load size.
If your washing machine has a suds-saver feature, make sure to use it. This feature reuses the clean rinse water for washing the next load.

When washing the car, only use the hose to rinse off your car, and fill a bucket with warm soapy water, using a sponge to wash it.
Replace broken or missing sprinkler heads. A missing sprinkler head can add up to many litres of wasted water.
More water is dispensed faster with a larger diameter hose. Sprinklers throwing large drops of water in flat patterns are more effective that those with fine, high sprays.
Watering on windy days will carry water away from its intended area; you're literally throwing your water and money away.
If you have automatic sprinkler system, make sure it is not watering too long or too often. Automatic sprinklers should be used when the water demand is at its lowest - between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Try planting drought resistant trees and plants. They require little or no watering during hot, dry periods.
Water only when the grass or plants show signs of needing it.
Most lawns only require one to one and a half inches of water a week. Deep, infrequent watering promotes deep, strong drought tolerant root systems during the growing season.
Footprints still appearing on a lawn after a half four or more is in need of water while on a well watered lawn, footprints will disappear within a few minutes.
Adjust your lawn mower to two or three inches in height. Taller blades of grass have deeper roots and shade the ground to retain moisture longer.