We use water in so many ways, just around the house. For most of us, it’s always there – just turn the faucet handle and get instant gratification along with the wet stuff. Lose that water from a power outage or a break in the water main and we very quickly remember how incredibly important it is. My own appreciation list is a long one – I use it to: drink for health and hydration, provide to pets and houseplants, wash dishes, fruit and veggies, my body, clothes, and the car, flush the toilet, and to brush teeth. What’s on your list? In these days of increasing water scarcity, it pays to ensure the supply of clean waters lasts as long as it can. It’s not free, and making water clean enough to use costs extra - conservation helps the wallet now and leaves more for the future.
One way to cut back is to replace older appliances with ones that limit the amount of water that gets used each time. Last year when our washing machine finally broke beyond my ability to fix it yet again, I replaced it with a high efficiency front loader. As much as I hate putting things into the landfill before their time, I really might have thought to do this earlier: not only is the electrical cost cut to less than half, it uses about one third the water without sacrificing how clean the clothes get. I pay a lot for my water (and electricity), so that’s a pretty sweet deal.
One study found American homes have around 11 toilet flushes per day (Rockaway et at, 2011). Where the older toilets may use 3.5 gallons per flush (gpf), a water conserving toilet uses just 1.6 gpf, saving about 7,600 gallons a year in that household. That’s a lot of water! I replaced the toilets when we moved into our house not too long ago, but I hadn’t realized until just now how much this has impacted our water usage and the utility bills.
A few other useful things we can do include:
• Install low flow shower heads and faucets. These don’t reduce the pressure of the water coming out so it should still feel like it’s at full force, but the volume is limited.
• Consider watering the lawn only when needed instead of using a timer. Those with irrigation systems can save water by using a sensor to control when it turns on based on the weather or how dry the soil actually is. • Use a soaker hose or drip emitters to water just the outdoor plants you want to target.
• If you feel you have to use chemicals on the lawn or farm, follow the directions scrupulously to reduce how much ends up in the environment or even back in your drinking water. That should help keep down the cost of treating your water to make it safe to drink. And when pollutants are removed, a fair amount of water can be used to carry them away, so less contamination can means less wasted water too.
How do you use water? For just a day, try to be conscious of each time you open a faucet, do a load of laundry, or flush the toilet. What would it be like to do without? There are some fairly easy ways to reduce, saving both water and money. The more we save today, the more there is tomorrow.
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