Green Living: Ways to Save Water

Water, as you know is a precious commodity. One of our lakes is less than half the size it is supposed to be, and it is so low that the boats cannot go out because their hulls will scrape the bottom. Because of the water shortage many of us have water usage restrictions for outside use. However some folks are being restricted on inside use as well. This article is about the many ways that you can conserve water.

When you take a shower, normally you let the water run down the drain. I am proposing that you stop your drain and collect the shower water and use it for watering your plants with, and if you have some garden plants, this is a good way to use this water. Collect the water in milk jugs or some other container, and then when you are done let the rest of it down the drain.

One sure way to waste water is to have a leak that you haven’t paid attention to. I have a leaky kitchen faucet that drips all of the time. It isn’t much, but the steady drip will fill up a gallon jug in just about 30 minutes. Over a month’s time that could accumulate nearly 1500 gallons of wasted water. So check your bathroom sinks, toilets, and tubs, as well as your kitchen sink. If you have a toilet that runs water constantly, it will pay to repair it. It might only take a trip to the hardware store to buy a part to install to fix the problem.

Flush the toilet when you need to, but don’t flush unnecessarily. Many people throw tissue in the toilet when blowing their nose, rather than the trash. One of my habits is flushing before I sit down, and I have had to curb that habit. By no means am I saying to leave urine and feces in the toilet, but I am saying to only flush when necessary.

Another way to conserve water is not to run the water freely when washing your face or brushing your teeth. You can turn on the flow of water when needed to wash and rinse. I always liked brushing my teeth by using a paper cup filled with water to rinse with, rather than just letting the water run. There are many ways to conserve water if you think about it.

If you use a dishwasher, only use it at night. Collect the dishes during the day and only run it when it is completely full. Most people run their dishwashers in the evening after the evening meal. Some small families wait until the next day, if the dishwasher isn’t full. I wash my dishes by hand, and I use a thin stream of water to rinse them with. When washing your clothes, make sure you use the right water setting. If you can’t was full loads, and only have a few things to wash, be sure to use the lower water setting. So much water is wasted by using more water than needed to wash clothes.

Garbage disposals require lots of water to dispose of solid waste materials; another bad thing about garbage disposals is that the solid wastes take up room in your septic tank if you have one. I keep the drain strainer in my sink and strain out the solids and dispose of them in the trash, rather than letting them go down the drain.

Several gallons of water could be wasted while waiting for hot water to come through the tap. You might want to install an instant hot water heater. The water will come out hot. I haven’t got one of those yet, but I do save water my water as it is running into my sink for dishes, rather than letting it run down the drain. The water will eventually get hot and warm that cold water to a good hot temperature.

If you are allowed to water outside, your lawn only needs to be watered about once a week in the summer if there isn’t rainfall. It is best to use the more water efficient sprinklers or soaker hoses. It might also be to your advantage to install a sensor that can shut off when enough water has been delivered to the area. When cleaning your driveway of dirt, leaves and debris, use your broom to sweep it, rather than hosing it down. We never seem to realize just how much water is wasted, and now since water is a precious commodity, we must do all we can to save it.

In my area, and other areas of Metro Atlanta, part of our water supply comes from Lake Lanier. It is estimated that the lake will be dry in 3 months. Saving water is the responsible thing to do, even if you don’t have to pay for it. Some people don’t have a water bill every month because they have their own well; but what would happen if one day you turned on the tap and nothing came out? If everyone was more conservative with their water usage it could make a difference to the environment. It is a sad sight to go by Lake Lanier and see dry land where water once sat. It is being drained off and used up faster than nature can replace it.

Sources:

http://www.gdrc.org/uem/water/49-ways.html

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2007/10/10/wateruse_1011.html