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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Install a high-efficiency toilet. They use anywhere between 20% and 60% less water than regular toilets.
4. Install a water re-circulating pump or even a tank less water heater.
5. 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!
6. When doing your spring planting, choose low-water use plants as well as drought-tolerant grass, ground covers, shrubs and trees.
7. Mulching also cuts down on the need to water.
8. Install timers and rain switches/sensors on your sprinklers .
9. 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!