Ways to Save Water

Applying Ways to Save Water

By following the water saving tips below, you can help with water conservation. Often the only time a plea for cutting back on the use of water is when a community is suffering a drought from lack of rainfall. Then, rules are mandated, especially about irrigating private and public lawns and watering outside plants. However, if we teach our ourselves and our children that no resource should ever be wasted, we can learn to use water saving tips no matter what our weather is like.

Around the House and Yard

• Cut down on the time spent to take a shower or a bath
• Do not run water while brushing teeth or shaving
• Do not over fill the kitchen sink when washing dishes
• Make sure dishwasher is full when run
• Run the washing machine only when you have enough for a full load
• Check for leaks around your house, like dripping faucets or other pipes
• Insulate your water pipes
• Make sure toilets do not run
• Store cool drinking water in the refrigerator instead of running water from the tap until it gets cool enough to drink
• Empty leftover water from drinking glasses into your pet's water bowl
• When away for a weekend, turn the automatic ice maker off in your freezer
• Install a rain water tank or a rain barrel so that you can use the water captured for watering outside plants, the lawn or to wash your vehicle
• If you happen to get a large amount of snow, shovel some of it into your rain barrel so that when it melts, you will have water
• Track your monthly water bill so that you will know what your consumption is and so that you will be alerted if significant changes occur
• Wash your car on or near your lawn so that the water can irrigate your grass at the same time
• When you wash your car, use a hose nozzle so that water will not freely run when you do not need it
• Consider installing gutter diverters which cause the rainwater to run down a spout into your rain barrel
• During the hot months, water your lawn early in the morning before the sun blisters the air and water evaporation occurs, or in the evening after the sun has set

In Your Town

• Cut down on the watering of public golf courses
• Limit the amount of water usage on companies' landscaped entrances
• Make sure that decorative fountains only use recycled water
• Get wait staff at restaurants to serve water only to those who ask for it
• Wash public service vehicles only once a week
• Plan for the future by only planting low water-use plants and flowers such as those found in the desert
• Get employers to focus on water-saving devices
• Make your co-workers, family and friends aware of the need to conserve by sharing guidelines you have found useful with them
• Write a letter to the editor of you local paper, encouraging every citizen to take part in water conservation
• For those on farms, a high-efficient irrigation system to water plants cuts down on water usage, and since it is low to the ground the crops can be watered well before evaporation occurs

Practice Makes Perfect

Let these tips for ways to save water become part of your lifestyle. It only takes thirty days to form a habit and the habit of water conservation is a good one to keep.