20 Tips to Prevent Water Waste

1. Water your lawn only when it needs it. In general, established lawns will survive long dry periods without “sprinkling.”

2. Water during the cool parts of the day. Water before 8 AM or after 8 PM.

3. Avoid watering on windy days.

4. Don’t water the road

5. Water trees slowly and infrequently to encourage deep rooting.

6. Let grass grow taller in hot, dry weather to shade roots and hold moisture.

7. Put a layer of mulch around trees and plants to hold moisture.

8. Use a broom, not a hose, to clean driveways and sidewalks.

9. Don’t allow the hose to run while washing your car.

10. Tell your children not to play with the hose and sprinklers.

11. Check for leaks in pipes, hoses faucets, and couplings.

12. Check your toilets for leaks. Put a little food coloring in your toilet tank. If, without flushing, the color begins to appear in the bowl, you have a leak that should be repaired immediately.

13. Take shorter showers.

14. Install water-saving shower heads or flow restrictors.

15. Turn off the water after you wet your toothbrush.

16. Check faucets and pipes for leaks. Even the smallest drip from a worn washer can waste 20 or more gallons a day. Larger leaks can waste hundreds.

17. Use your dishwasher and washing machine only for full loads.

18. If you wash dishes by hand, don’t leave the water running for rinsing.

19. Don’t let the faucet run while you clean vegetables.

20. Keep a bottle of drinking water in the refrigerator. Running tap water to cool it off for drinking water is wasteful.