It’s normal for droughts to occur here and there. However, this summer it seems like many cities across the U.S. are experiencing a drought. As rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and wells dry up, being mindful of your water consumption is more important than ever before. Whether you’re on city water and you’re at the mercy of an emergency that your local government has declared or you have a well and you don’t want to deal with the horrors of having it dry up, here are some water conservation tips for you to consider during a hot, dry summer.
Homeowner Tips for Water Conservation During Dry Summer
Modify Landscaping Care
While a beautiful landscape is the goal of every homeowner, during a drought, you may need to let go of that goal. To conserve water, it is a good idea to cut back on how much you water your lawn and garden. If you have an automatic sprinkler system, adjust it so that it runs less frequently and for shorter periods of time. If you manually water your landscaping, cut back on the amount and the length of time you run your sprinklers and hoses.
Find and Fix Leaks
Leaks aren’t just annoying; they can waste a lot of water and increase your water bill. Even a small drip can translate to gallons of water being wasted over a certain period of time. The real kicker is that the water is completely wasted, as it isn’t even being used for watering your lawn or running your bathtub. That said, take the time to do a thorough inspection of all plumbing and water fixtures in and around your home. If you identify any leaks, repair them immediately. If you aren’t confident in your inspection abilities, hiring a professional plumber can be a worthwhile investment.
Modify Appliance Usage
Appliances like washing machines and dishwashers use a tremendous amount of water. There’s no doubt that throwing in a load of laundry at the end of each day or running the dishwasher before you go to bed is convenient. However, when you’re in the midst of a drought, you’re definitely going to want to cut back on water usage by limiting the use of such appliances. Rather than using these appliances every day or even every other day, try to use them just once – at most twice – a week.
Be Mindful of Showers and Baths
There’s nothing better than a refreshing shower or a relaxing bath. However, despite the wealth of benefits showers and baths provide, they consume a great deal of water. If possible cut down on bathing frequency. If you shower every day, try switching to every other day. Or, instead of taking showers, because baths use less water, take more baths.
If you simply must bathe every day, cut back on the amount of time you spend in the shower. To help save water, consider setting a timer set to five minutes.
Additional Information:
Conservation – Metropolitan Utilities District (MUD)
Local Drought Update – National Weather Service
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