Water Conservation Tips
Here are some tips to save money on your water bill, which also conserves this precious resource.
IN THE BATHROOM
# The average American uses about 9,000 gallons of water to flush 230 gallons of waste down the toilet per year. Conventional toilets use 3.5 to 5 gallons or more of water per flush, but low-flush toilets use only 1.6 gallons of water or less.
# Plastic containers can be filled with water or pebbles and placed in a toilet tank to reduce the amount of water used per flush. By placing one to three such containers in the tank more than l gallon of water can be saved per flush.
# Showers account for about 20 percent of total indoor water use. By replacing standard 4.5-gallon-per-minute showerheads with 2.5-gallon-per-minute heads, which cost less than $5 each, a family of four can save approximately 20,000 gallons of water per year.
IN THE KITCHEN
# About 10 to 20 gallons of water a day can be saved by running the dishwasher only when it is full. If dishes are washed by hand, water can be saved by filling the sink or a dishpan with water rather than running the water continuously.
# Turning off the faucet while brushing teeth or shaving or taking shorter showers are good ways to save water.
AROUND THE HOME
# Make sure your washing machine is set to the correct size for the load being washed. Only run the machine when it is full.
# As much as 150 gallons of water can be saved when washing a car by turning the hose off between rinses. The car should be washed on the lawn if possible to reduce runoff.
# Reuse fish tank water by watering plants with it.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency/Utah State University
January 23, 2006 6:41 AM | Category: Water