California may no longer be in a drought, but it’s still important to conserve water so future generations can benefit from a reliable water supply.
Living in a desert, mindful water use should be second nature.
With about 70 to 80 percent of water consumption in our area being used outdoors, looking outside is the best and easiest place to start saving water. You can also find lots of ways to conserve inside your home.
10 ways to save water:
- Replace grass with water efficient desert landscaping. Getting rid of grass can be one of the best ways to save water. A good rule of thumb is that if you only walk on the grass to mow it – it can go.
- Water plants or landscape when it is cooler outside when evaporation is low – early in the morning or late at night. This gives the ground a chance to soak the water in and reach the root system of the plants before the heat of the day.
- Make sure sprinklers are watering where they are supposed to. Adjust sprinkler nozzles to stop spraying paved, concrete or rock areas.
- Install a weather-based irrigation controller that can sense rain and temperature so you are watering the right amount for each day’s weather. Some have weather stations attached and others use data or WiFi.
- Install a low-flow shower head. This allows you to stay in the shower just as long but using less water.
- Place a bucket in the shower to capture water as it warms up and use this water outside or to fill your toilet tank.
- Install a high-efficiency toilet of 1.28 gallons per flush or less. Dual flush toilets also save water.
- Wash only full laundry loads and run the wash on cool or cold. There are some detergents specialized for cold water. This will save electricity, too.
- Running a full-load in your dishwasher is more efficient than using your sink to wash dishes.
- Check your local water agency for rebates.
