From a consumer standpoint, water conservation makes good sense. You could greatly reduce your bill by simply taking shorter showers or fixing leaky faucets.
How to Lower Your Water Bill:
Check for any leaking pipes or faucets. A slow-dripping faucet could waste as much as 20 gallons of water a day.
Make sure your toilet is not leaking by putting food coloring in the tank; wait a few minutes to see if any of the food coloring makes it to the basin. If you see the color, you have a leak that could produce 100 gallons of wasted water each day.
Wait until you have a full load to do laundry or wash dishes.
Put aerators on your faucets to reduce excess water flow. You can also reduce water flow in your shower from 4.5 gallons to as little as 1.2 gallons per minute by installing a water-saving shower head.
You can stop wasting water and still take pride in your lawn by watering at the correct time of day. Keep these tips in mind when caring for your lawn to reduce your water use:
- Water in the early morning or at dusk. You could lose up to 30% of the water applied to the lawn due to evaporation in the mid-day sun.
- Make certain that you are watering grass and not sidewalks or driveways.
- Use a broom instead of water to clean your driveway after mowing.
- Aerate your lawn regularly to ensure that the water absorbs properly.
- Long grass means less water evaporation. Keep grass about two inches long to shade roots and prevent moisture loss.
Click here to download a list of plants that are known to have good drought tolerance, good pest resistance and adaptability to a wide range of soils and environmental conditions.