Author: Cathy Martin

CONSERVATION TIPS
Water conservation can mean changing habits. It can mean fixing leaks or upgrading inefficient plumbing fixtures. The following tips can help you save water in and around your home.
Leaks
Leaks are the worst water wasters in your home. Water that leaks does not get used for any beneficial purpose, yet it was treated to be safe to drink.
Check every faucet, toilet, showerhead, connector, and hose bib around the house for leaks. Even a slow drip can use 15 to 20 gallons of water a day. Larger leaks and running toilets can use up to 100 gallons of water per day or more.
Check for hidden leaks in your water system. Turn off all the faucets in and around your house, then check your water meter. The water meter is in the meter box located at the front of your house, usually in the sidewalk or grass strip. Wait 15 minutes without turning any water on and check the meter again. If the reading has changed, you have a leak. If you can’t locate the leak indoors, check around the yard for wet spots or small patches of very green grass or vegetation. The leak may be in an irrigation line or in the water line running to the house.
All but the oldest water meters in the Scio Water System have a leak detector built-in. Look on the face of your meter and you should see a red triangle or diamond shape. This is the leak detector, and it is on a much smaller gear than the dials or digits. Any time water is moving through the meter, this detector spins. If you are not using water and the detector is spinning, chances are you have a leak. Fix it!
Toilets
Check toilets for leaks at least twice per year. Place a dye tablet or several drops of food coloring in the toilet tank (not the bowl). DO NOT FLUSH THE TOILET! Wait at least 15 minutes. After waiting, check the BOWL to see if there is any color. If there is, you have a leak! It is most likely the flapper, but might be the fill valve. Fortunately, both are easy to fix with few or no tools.
Flush only when needed. Flushing gum wrappers, spiders, or cigarette butts uses water needlessly.
If you have an older toilet that uses more than 1.6 gallons per flush, put a water displacement device inside the tank. You can make one simply by filling a plastic bottle with water and adding a few stones or marbles to weigh it down. Make sure the bottle doesn’t interfere with the movement of any hardware.
Better yet, consider replacing older inefficient toilets (those made before 1992) with modern High Efficiency Toilets that use 1.28 gallons per flush or less.
Showers and Baths
Which uses less water, a shower or bath? It depends on how long a shower you take and how deep you fill the tub. Here is a test: Next time you take a shower, but the bung in the tub drain. When you are done, make a note of how deep the water is. You can take a bath with no more than this amount of water and use no more than your shower.
Are some showerheads better than others? You bet! Look for a showerhead that uses no more than 1.5 gallons per minute. Using a flow restrictor to reduce the flow to an older showerhead may not provide as good of a shower as using a showerhead designed to use less water. To find out how much water your shower uses, either time how long it takes to fill a bucket to a known volume or see how much water flows during a set amount of time.
How long should I be staying in the shower? Six minutes should be plenty! A six-minute shower with a 2.5 gallon per minute showerhead uses just over 13 gallons of water. If you shower for ten minutes, you use closer to 25 gallons. If you have an older inefficient showerhead, you may be using more than 50 gallons for a ten-minute shower.
Kitchen
When washing dishes by hand, remember to turn off the water between uses rather than letting the faucet run the whole time you are washing. Even if your sink is fitted with an aerator that restricts flow to 2.2 gallons per minute, washing dishes by hand with the water running easily can use 25 to 50 gallons -- maybe even more. If your faucet does not have a good aerator or flow restrictor, you may be using over 100 gallons of water when letting the water run to wash dishes.
Instead of washing dishes with the water running, fill a basin with hot soapy water, wash the dishes, then rinse them.
Automatic dishwashers use the same amount of water per run regardless of whether there’s a full load or just a couple of dishes. The trick is to make sure the washer is fully loaded before it is turned on.
If you are shopping for an automatic dishwasher, look for one with an internal water heater. This will let you set your hot water tank to a lower temperature, and that can reduce the risk of scald injury and save you some money, too.
If you are shopping for an automatic dishwasher, please consider purchasing one that is water efficient.
When washing leafy vegetables like lettuce or spinach, wash them in a bowl or basin of water rather than under a running faucet. You may be surprised to find out that soaking can remove sand and grit better than a spray of water.
In the summer, instead of letting the faucet run until the water is cold, just fill a pitcher of water and keep it in the refrigerator.
Try composting instead of using a garbage disposal. Your garden will benefit, and you can reduce the use of costly soil amendments.
Laundry
Typical washing machines can use over 50 gallons of water whether the machine is full or just has a couple items. You can save water by simply washing fewer loads -- just make sure to fill the machine before you turn it on. If your machine has an adjustable water level, set it to the lowest level that will get the load clean.
If you have been thinking about a new washing machine, make sure to get one that is water efficient. Look for a machine with a "Water Factor" (the number of gallons required to wash one cubic foot of clothes) of 9.5 or less.
Save hot water and the energy to heat by using detergents formulated for cold water washing. Cold water is gentler on many types of delicate fabrics.
Outdoors
Many people use several times as much water in the summer than they do in the winter. Most of this increase in water use may be attributed to lawn watering. Many people use far more water than needed when watering their lawn. By practicing wise water use, you can save water and still keep your lawn green and healthy. Here are some suggestions:
Water lawns early in the day. Early morning water is best because water washed bacteria and fungus spores off the plants. Watering in the morning also avoids excess evaporation that can occur later in the day. Deep soaks of about 1 inch once or twice a week are best. This practice encourages deep root growth, which promotes a healthy lawn. You can measure your watering by placing a cup within the range of the sprinkler; when it’s about an inch full, it’s time to turn off the sprinkler.
Depending on the type of grass in your lawn, allow it to grow taller in the summer – about 2½ to 3 inches. Taller grass blades provide shade to the roots and reduce water loss from evaporation. Aerating your lawn will help water reach the roots.
Consider letting your lawn go dormant in the summer. You will only have to water it a couple times, and you won't have to mow as often. Your lawn will turn a golden color during the hot dormant season, but will return to an emerald green with the autumn rains.
Add water slowly to your vegetable garden, using a small droplet size. Large droplets tend to compact soil, making it difficult for roots to become well established. Most sprinklers are intended for lawns, not gardens, and tend to over apply water causing nutrients to be leached from the soil. Consider installing a drip system to slowly deliver water directly to individual plants.
When washing the car, try using a bucket of soapy water and a hose with a shut-off nozzle. By reducing the amount of water used to wash the car, you will also reduce the amount of soapy rinse water going to storm drains and area streams.
Clean gutters and downspouts by hand, instead of using a hose.
Check all hoses, connectors and spigots regularly for leaks.