Conservation and Education

We encourage our customers to use water wisely. If you don't conserve, you're pouring water, and money, down the drain. Some basic tips:

In the Bathroom
More than three quarters of the water we use indoors is used in the bathroom, so this is a good place to start your water conservation efforts.

  • Install water conservation devices such as toilet dams, low flow shower heads and faucet aerators. These devices are relatively inexpensive and easily found at hardware and plumbing supply stores. Each of them reduce water usage between 25 and 50 percent without significantly changing your lifestyle. Building a new house? Consider installing low flow toilets which use 1 to 2 gallons per flush instead of 3 to 5 gallons – a possible water savings of 8,000 to 12,000 gallons per person, per year.
  • Repair leaks in toilets and faucets. A leaky faucet can waste as much as 20 gallons a day, a leaky toilet hundreds of gallons.
  • Take short showers, not baths. A four-minute shower uses approximately 8 gallons of water, whereas a bath uses about 50-60 gallons. If drawing a bath, don’t run the water without closing the drain first.
  • Turn off the faucet while you are shaving or brushing your teeth. You can save three or more gallons by using a glassful of water instead of running the tap while brushing.
  • Don’t use the toilet as a trashcan for cigarette butts or tissues. This leads to unnecessary flushing.

In the Kitchen

  • When washing dishes by hand, fill up the sink or dish tub instead of running water the entire time. Use your dishwasher only when you have a full load, and use the water saving option if available. (The same goes for your clothes washer, too.)
  • Keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator for a cool drink instead of running the tap until the water cools.
  • Thaw frozen foods in the refrigerator instead of under running water.
  • Clean vegetables in a sink or dish tub instead of under running water. Reuse the water to water your plants.

Outside the House

  • Water the lawn during early morning when the temperature is lower to reduce the water lost to evaporation. Position sprinklers so that you are only watering the lawn, not the sidewalk or street. Water your lawn only when necessary.
  • Choose plants and shrubs carefully to match your locality. Poorly chosen varieties require more water and fertilizer just to stay alive. Choose drought resistant plants, and mulch to retain moisture.
  • Use a pistol-type sprayer at the end of your garden hose to control the flow of water.