Water Conservation in the Home

The most effective way to save water is to upgrade to efficient fixtures. But there are other ways to help reduce the amount of water you use at home. Toilets

Don’t Use the Toilet as an Ashtray or Wastebasket

Every time you flush a cigarette butt, facial tissue, or other small bit of trash, you’re wasting gallons of water. Put them in the garbage, or better yet, recycle.

Put Plastic Bottles or a Float Booster in Your Toilet Tank

To cut down on water waste, put an inch or two of sand or pebbles inside each of two plastic bottles. Fill the bottles with water, screw the lids on, and put them in your toilet tank, safely away from the operating mechanisms. Or, buy an inexpensive tank bank or float booster. This may save ten or more gallons of water per day. Be sure at least three gallons of water remain in the tank so it will flush properly. If there is not enough water to get a proper flush, users will hold the lever down too long or do multiple flushes to get rid of waste. Two flushes at 1.4 gallons are worse than a single 2 gallon flush.

Buy an Adjustable Toilet Flapper

Installing an adjustable toilet flapper will allow for adjustment of each per flush use; the user can adjust the flush rate to the minimum per flush setting that achieves a single good flush each time.

Install Low or Dual Flush Models

Federal regulations state that new toilets must use no more than 1.6 gallons per flush. Replacing an old toilet with an ultra-low volume (ULV) 1.6 gallon flush model represents a 70% savings in water and will cut indoor water use by about 30%. Alternatively, consider purchasing a dual flush toilet or installing a dual flush converter that turns a standard toilet into a dual flush toilet, saving an average family 15,000 gallons of water each year. More water can be used when it’s needed, but for most flushes you’ll be using 70% less, adding up to some significant water savings.

Install Composting Toilets

Composting toilets are the most effective way to cut water waste from your bathroom since they require no water at all! Better still, they keep all the nutrients and pollutants out of waterways and make them available for use in non-food landscapes. Check codes in your area to be sure they’re legal before installing one. Read our article about composting toilets to find out if they’re right for you. Laundry

Use Clothes Washer for Only Full Loads

With clothes washers, avoid the permanent press cycle, which uses an added 5 gallons (20 liters) for the extra rinse. For partial loads, adjust water levels to match the size of the load.

Consider a High Efficiency Washing Machine

The most efficient washing machines use as little as seven gallons per load, compared to a whopping 54 for a traditional washer. A high efficiency (HE) washer should easily pay for itself over its lifetime in water and energy savings. New Energy Star rated washers use 35 – 50% less water and 50% less energy per load. If you’re in the market for a new clothes washer, read our article about water-saving frontload washers. Shower

Install Water-Saving Showerheads, Shower Timers, and Low-Flow Faucet Aerators

Inexpensive water-saving low-flow showerheads or restrictors are easy for the homeowner to install. Long showers can use five to ten gallons every unneeded minute. “Low-flow” means it uses less than 2.5 gallons per minute. You can easily install a ShowerStart, or add a ShowerStart converter to existing showerheads, which automatically pauses a running shower once it gets warm.

Take Shorter Showers

One way to cut down on water use is to turn off the shower after soaping up, then turn it back on to rinse. A four-minute shower uses approximately 20 to 40 gallons of water. You can also install a simple shower timer, available from Eartheasy or your local water utility.

Don’t Run the Hose While Washing Your Car

Clean the car using a pail of soapy water. Use the hose only for rinsing; this simple practice can save as much as 100 gallons when washing a car. Use a spray nozzle when rinsing for more efficient use of water. Better yet, use a waterless car washing system; there are several brands, such as Eco Touch, which are now on the market.

Use a Broom, Not a Hose, to Clean Driveways and Sidewalks

Blasting leaves or stains off your walkways with water is one way to remove them, but brushing with a broom to first loosen the dirt and grime will decrease your water use and save you time in the long run. Cover Swimming Pools to Reduce Evaporation

Swimming pools can lose an inch or more of water each week to evaporation.

Temperature, humidity, wind, and the way the pool is situated can all affect how quickly water evaporates. To save thousands of gallons of pool water each season, get a cover for your pool. Check for Leaks in Pipes, Hoses, Faucets and Couplings

Leaks outside the house may not seem as bad since they’re not as visible.

But they can be just as wasteful as leaks indoors. Check frequently to keep them drip-free. Use hose washers at spigots and hose connections to eliminate leaks. Reuse Wastewater Where Possible “Grey water” is the water draining from your house’s sinks, bathtubs, and laundry machine, which can be used to water plants (as opposed to “black water” from toilets, which needs to be treated). You can harvest grey water in a small way with a bucket in your kitchen or shower, or install a grey water system, which reroutes water from your drains to your landscape. Though not yet legal everywhere, codes are changing to allow more people to take advantage of this source of otherwise wasted water. The simplest systems harvest only water from the washing machine, which can add up to thousands of gallons per year. If you use grey water in your landscape, be sure to use only eco-friendly and plant-based soaps and cleaners in your home so you’re not dousing your plants with industrial chemicals.

Maintain Your Irrigation System

If you use an irrigation system, check that it’s operating correctly toward the beginning and end of each season. Clear any visible clogs, and adjust the settings according to the needs of your plants and the time of year. Plants will need less water in cooler weather and more in hotter weather, and correct settings will not only save water but ensure that plants are getting the right amounts. Also be sure the timer waters in the morning to reduce loss to evaporation and prevent moisture from staying on plants overnight.

Water During the Early Parts of the Day; Avoid Watering When It Is Windy

Early morning is generally better than dusk since it helps prevent the growth of fungus. Early watering and late watering also reduce water loss to evaporation. Watering early in the day is also the best defence against slugs and other garden pests. Try not to water when it’s windy: wind can blow sprinklers off target and speed evaporation. An automated watering system with a built-in moisture sensor can help ensure you’re only watering when necessary and at the most efficient time of day. If you’re using a timer, consider adding a rain or moisture sensor to avoid watering unnecessarily.

Add Organic Matter to Your Garden Beds

Adding organic material to your soil will help increase its absorption and water retention. Areas that are already planted can be ‘top dressed’ with compost or organic matter every year. Turn a healthy dose of compost into new garden beds when preparing the soil for planting.

Harvest Rainwater for Watering Vegetable Beds

Use rain barrels or a catchment system to capture valuable rainwater from your roof. Plants prefer untreated water, so your garden will be healthier while you cut your water bill.

Use a Soil Moisture Meter to Gauge When You Should Water Your Garden

Avoid over- or under-watering your garden with a simple-to-use soil moisture meter. The meter quickly lets you know whether the soil is dry, so you only need to water when the plant actually needs it.

Control Weeds to Reduce Competition for Water in the Garden

Weeds use water, too! If you don’t weed, the garden invaders will take up water meant for your plants. A good layer of mulch around your plants not only conserves soil moisture but helps keep weeds under control. Great American Rain Barrel - 60 Gallon

Plant Drought-resistant Lawns, Shrubs and Plants

If you are planting a new lawn, or overseeding an existing lawn, use drought-resistant grasses such as “Eco-Lawn”. Many beautiful shrubs and plants thrive with far less watering than other species. Replace herbaceous perennial borders with native plants. Native plants will use less water and be more resistant to local plant diseases. Consider applying the principles of xeriscape for a low-maintenance, drought resistant yard.

WHY CONSERVE?

Water conservation is the most cost-effective and environmentally sound way to reduce our demand for water. This stretches our supplies farther, and protects places like Mono Lake. For example, the city of Los Angeles has grown by one million people since the 1970s, but still uses the same amount of water. Using less water also puts less pressure on our sewage treatment facilities, and uses less energy for water heating.

Fresh Water Availibility

Freshwater makes up a very small fraction of all water on the planet. While nearly 70 percent of the world is covered by water, only 2.5 percent of it is fresh. The rest is saline and ocean-based. Even then, just 1 percent of our freshwater is easily accessible, with much of it trapped in glaciers and snowfields. In essence, only 0.007 percent of the planet's water is available to fuel and feed its 6.8 billion people.

SAVING WATER SAVES ENERGY!

Saving water also saves energy. 6.5% of the energy used in the state of California is for pumping and treating water—in fact, pumping water south (and uphill) in the State Water Project accounts for 2–3% of all the electricity used in the state. And for your personal energy bill, using less hot water saves on water heating. On the flip side, saving energy and using alternative energy saves water—electricity production from fossil fuels and nuclear energy is responsible for 39% of all freshwater withdrawals in the nation.