Water Conservation
Astronomers don’t know the answer to the question, “Is there life on other planets?” However, when searching for the possibility, one of the criteria is whether there are signs of water. Water is essential to life and we are surrounded by it, as it makes up 70 percent of our planet. Yet less than 1 percent of that water – all the water from our lakes, streams, and rivers – is fresh. And without it, we would cease to exist.
Research studies indicate that during the summer months 50% to 60% of our water consumption is for lawn irrigation and applied to the landscape, and 30% to 40% of the water used for lawn irrigation was being wasted by overwatering of lawns.
Inside the Home
- Wash only full loads of clothes and dishes.
- Turn Off The Tap
- Don’t let water run while shaving or washing your face.
- Just by turning off the tap while you brush your teeth in the morning and before bedtime, you can save up to 8 gallons of water! That adds up to more than 200 gallons a month, enough to fill a huge fish tank that holds 6 small sharks!
- Fix That Leak
- Check faucets, spigots, and pipes for leaks and drips. A faucet that drips only once per second can waste up to 2,700 gallons of water per year!
- Fix that leak- Fixing a toilet leak is a great way to reduce household water use and boost water conservation. If your toilet has a leak, you could be wasting about 200 gallons of water every day. That would be like flushing your toilet more than 50 times for no reason!
Outside the Home
- Comply with designated watering restrictions if any are in effect.
- Irrigation efficiency is a key component in water management / focus on doing more with less.
- Adjust your lawn and landscape irrigation systems to water either in the early morning or late afternoon. If you water mid-day, much of the water is lost to evaporation.
- Inspect sprinkler systems often for broken sprinkler heads and leaks.
- Watering lawns and plants too much and too frequently results in shallow roots, weed growth and plant disease. Consider using native plants and landscape designs that require less irrigation water use to maintain.
- Mulch, Mulch, Mulch! A thick layer (3 inches or more) of coarse mulch acts as insulation for the soil in your flower beds and significantly reduces evaporation.