People can make small changes in everyday life to reap the benefits of huge water savings. The Environmental Protection Agency’s experts say that not only are our drought-prone states in big trouble with water shortages, but that sooner or later the rest of the country will be affected by shortages as well. Shocking but true: the average American citizen uses 1,600 cups of water per day. To do your part to help conserve this precious resource, here are some tips.
- To see if your toilet is leaking water, simply place a drop of food coloring into the tank. If this color shows up in your toilet without flushing, unfortunately you’ve got a leak. Fixing this leak will save you 200 gallons of water per day.
- Installing an aerator on kitchen or bathroom faucets cuts water use all the while keeping a smooth and high-pressure flow. Or, go for the gusto and install a high-efficiency shower head.
- Install a high-efficiency toilet. They use anywhere between 20% and 60% less water than regular toilets.
- Install a water re-circulating pump or even a tank less water heater.
- Upgrading to an ENERGY STAR washing machine will save you 7,000 gallons of water per year. This is enough water to fill three backyard swimming pools!
- When doing your spring planting, choose low-water use plants as well as drought-tolerant grass, ground covers, shrubs and trees.
- Mulching also cuts down on the need to water.
- Install timers and rain switches/sensors on your sprinklers .
- Consider a drip irrigation system for your garden.
If everyone in the United States installed water-efficient appliances, our country would SAVE 3 trillion gallons of water, which equates to 18 billion dollars per year!
