In the western United Sates, water scarcity is increasing, as water resources are depleting from overallocation. The Colorado River, which provides a portion of Goldens water, no longer flows to the Gulf of Mexico, and downstream users are struggling with water deficiency for cities and agriculture. Also, it takes a lot of energy to get water to your tap. Did you know that on average 30 – 40% of a municipal budget is for energy to treat water? Here are some tips and tricks to save indoor water.

 

1) Toilets are one of the biggest users of indoor water, about ¼ of the total water

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• Get a low-flush toilet.

• If it’s yellow let it mellow. We don’t need to flush for light uses. This is the first measure Cape Town, South Africa, recommended when they were running out of water.

 

2) Showers consume about 1/5 of indoor water

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• Low-flow showerheads only use 1.5 gal/minute, and are easy to install; you just unscrew the old one and replace with the new.

• Keep it short. A good rule of thumb is 5 minutes.

• frequent showers aren’t good for our skin or hair anyway.- Take fewer showers. A few times a week is enough unless we get especially filthy.

• Remember shower water is always heated, so saving shower water also saves energy.

3) Laundry and dishwasher use about 1/4 of indoor water

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• Efficient front-loading washers reduce water significantly.

• Only do full loads.

• Only wash it if it’s dirty. Just throwing things in the laundry out of habit not only wastes water, it wears the clothes out faster.

• Use cold water. Warm or hot water doesn’t get the clothes cleaner, and it wastes
  energy and wears clothes out faster.

4) Faucets consume about 1/6 of indoor water

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• Don’t turn water on full-blast unless you’re filling something. For hand-washing, if water is turned on full-blast, only about 10% ever contacts your skin. The rest flies down the drain, wasted.

• For bathrooms, consider a low-flow aerator.

• If water is low-flow, hands can be washed cold, because the warmth of the hands overcomes the chill of the water. This saves a lot of water that is wasted running it full blast until it’s hot. If you must have hot water to wash your hands, collect it for watering plants or other uses.

• Turn off water when you’re not using it, such as when brushing teeth and lathering hands.

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5) Leaks are about 10% of our indoor water

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• Toilet leaks are the most common, as flapper valves wear out.

• Faucet leaks are easy to fix.

• To find hidden leaks, read the water meter and don’t use any water for several hours, then read it again.

• There are some useful instructions online to help with detecting and repairing leaks.