Repair leaky faucets and toilets. A leaky faucet that
drips every second will waste about 2,000 gallons annually; a leaky
toilet may waste up to
73,000 gallons annually.
Replace older toilets with newer low-flow models. You
can cut your household water usage by 10 to 15 percent by replacing
a toilet
made before
1992 with a new 1.6-gallon-per-flush model.
Replace old shower heads with more efficient models
that provide 2.5 gallons per minute. These low-flow shower heads
do not affect water pressure
and are standard
in most new homes.
Take shorter showers, and turn off the water while brushing
your teeth or shaving.
Use low-flow faucet aerators that allow less than
2.75 gallons per minute. Such aerators easily pay for themselves
in water savings.
In the laundry room…
Wash full loads of laundry, or use the appropriate water
level or load-size selection.
Consider replacing an older washing machine with
a new water- and energy-efficient model. It can save you
over 50 percent in water and energy costs.
In the kitchen…
Replace your dishwasher with a water- and energy-efficient
model.
Defrost food in the refrigerator instead of using running
water. Faucets release about a gallon of water every minute.
When hand-washing dishes, use a dishpan or a stopper
in the sink.
Scrape rather than pre-rinse dishes before loading
them into a dishwasher, and run it only when it’s full.
Keep a container of water in the refrigerator instead of
running the faucet to get cold water.
When landscaping or gardening…
Water your lawn and garden in the morning. You’ll
use 30 percent less water than you would if you
watered in the
middle of the day, when evaporation is higher. Do not water your lawn
when it’s windy.
Don’t overwater. A lawn or garden needs only
one inch of water weekly to thrive (including rainfall). Thorough
watering
once weekly
encourages deep-root growth. Overwatering is often to blame for poor
turf.
Repair any leaks within your irrigation system that
cost you money and waste water. Incorporate moisture sensors or a
rain
gauge into your
automatic sprinkler system. Use efficient irrigation systems such
as soil soakers or drip irrigation.
Set sprinklers in such a way that your lawn or garden is
being watered and not the street or sidewalk.
Water trees and shrubs longer and less often than plants
with shallow roots.
Control the flow of water from your hose with an adjustable
nozzle.
Use water from a bucket when washing a car, or go
to a commercial car wash that recycles water (most do). Recycling
water keeps
soap and
cleaners from contaminating groundwater and from draining into streams,
rivers, and reservoirs.
Sweep driveways, sidewalks, and steps instead of hosing
them off.
Use mulch around garden plants and shrubs to reduce evaporation
and weed growth.
Remove thatch and aerate turf to promote air and water circulation.
Use native grasses, shrubs, and trees in landscaping.
Native plants require less water, reduce runoff and flooding, and
are easier to grow because they are adapted to local conditions. (See
the Native
Plant Selector for details on more than 140 plants native to the
Tennessee Valley.) Preserving
native vegetation along stream banks and reservoir shorelines also
can prevent soil erosion. Read
about shoreline landscaping with native plants.
Try these easy
tests
To find out if your toilet is leaking, put food coloring in the tank.
If the food coloring shows up in the bowl for flushing, then you
have a leak.
To check your shower’s efficiency, turn it
on full blast. Use a bucket to capture the water that comes out
in one minute. You should
have about about 2.5 gallons. Check faucet flow the same way.
Tennessee Valley Authority
