Even when water supply is adequate, conservation is simply a wise use of a precious resource. Conservation can contribute to a healthy environment, reduce your water bill and ensure an adequate water supply for years.

Strategies and Tips

Cutting water use inside and outside our homes is really important. If everyone changed their water-use habits, we could save billions of gallons of water. Water is too precious to waste.

Indoor: What can you do?

Wash only full loads of laundry and dishes. Even when the machine features short cycles, you’re being more efficient with your water if you wash only full loads.

Fix household leaks promptly. Check every faucet and toilet in your home for leaks. Just a slow drip can waste 15 to 20 gallons a day. Check every toilet in your home for leaks by putting 10 drops of food coloring in each toilet tank. Don’t flush for fifteen minutes. If the colored water shows up in the bowl the tank is leaking. It’s not uncommon to lose up to 100 gallons a day from one of these otherwise invisible toilet leaks.

Spend only 5 minutes in the shower. Do not shower too long or fill the tub too full. Five minutes for showering and about five inches in the tub is plenty.

Turn off the water while you brush your teeth.

When upgrading, buy water-saving devices like high-efficiency toilets and clothes washers.

Outdoor: What can you do?

Water your lawn 1 to 2 days a week. Water early or late in the day, not in the midday heat. Avoid watering on windy days. See that water goes where it should, not on the sidewalk or driveways.

Water your plants in the early morning or evening to reduce evaporation and ineffective watering due to wind.

Check your sprinkler system for leaks, overspray and broken sprinkler heads and repair promptly. Remember this: A sprinkler spraying five gallons per minute can use 50% more water in just one hour than a combination of ten toilet flushes, two dishwasher loads, and a full load of clothes! Install a smart sprinkler controller that adjusts watering based on weather, soil type, amount of shade and plant type.

Use a broom instead of a hose to clean driveways and sidewalks

Talk to your family and friends about saving water. If everyone does a little, we all benefit.