Western states are either dealing with their worst droughts ever, or, like Colorado and Texas, coping with overabundance rain ranging from inconvenience to serious disaster.
Whether it’s drought or flood, water issues aren’t going anywhere. Even in states where spring rain merely delayed gardening and kept lawns green, hot, dry weather will return.
For those wondering as hot days finally arrive, here are five simple tips (there are lots more at denverwater.org; click on the “Conservation” tab.)
1. Understand your water meter
Madeline Ward, acting water conservation coordinator in Santa Barbara, Calif., suggests becoming familiar with your water meter.
Reading your meter is not only a way to gauge water usage; it also can tell you when you have a leak.
“When you’re leaving for work in the morning, read it,” said Ward. “When you come back from work, read it again.” If it has moved, there could be a leak. Weekly meter readings are also helpful for comparing usage week-to-week.
2. Replace turf
Landscaping and turfgrass watering account for a hefty 60 percent to 80 percent of home water use, so one way to conserve water is to literally rip out your lawn.
As an incentive, water districts across many states have been offering conservation rebates to residents who replace grass with drought-tolerant native plants, mulch, bark, gravel and/or drip-irrigation systems.
3. Monitor sprinklers
If you do keep your lawn, monitor automatic sprinklers closely to check for leaks, runoff or simple inefficiency. Don’t water between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. — that water goes into the hot air, not your lawn or plants. Also make sure they’re not on when it rains (How often have you seen a sprinkler system blithely running during a gully-washer?)
In Colorado, recent rain has been so frequent and abundant that a moisture check with an old, pointy screwdriver is a good idea before running your sprinkler system.
4. Check for toilet leaks
While most toilets these days are low-flow and use 1.6 gallons of water per flush (or less), a toilet leak can waste about 200 gallons of water a day. Yes, that’s A DAY. These leaks are huge and silent.
So do a dye test. Drop a food-coloring tablet from a plumbing or other store into the toilet tank. Wait 10 to 15 minutes without flushing. Then look in the toilet bowl.
If there’s color in it, that means there’s a leak from the tank into the bowl, and you need to replace the tank’s rubber flapper that lets water through. Rubber flappers warp or erode over time.
5. Use less to wash
No more long, hot showers or running water while flossing your teeth.
Instead, take five-minute showers. Showers usually use 1.5 to 2 gallons of water per minute, according to Ward. Turn off the water when you’re lathering and shaving, and also at the sink when you lather your hands.
For baths, don’t fill the tub more than halfway.
As for washing dishes, make sure the water isn’t running when you’re not using it. If you wash dishes by hand, dunk them in a basin with soapy water so that you’re only using extra water for rinsing. For dishwashers, always run a full load — same goes for washing machines.
