Slow the Flow

Posted by Lyndsey P. Bakos-Schneider

Slow the Flow

Did you know that only one percent of water on our planet is readily available for drinking? That’s because only three percent of the world’s water is fresh water rather than salt water; and of that amount, icecaps and glaciers account for two thirds. In a typical household, four people use approximately 9,000 gallons per month or 108,000 gallons per year. That’s enough water to fill a bathtub more than 2,500 times! More than half of this usage occurs in the bathroom–from toilets (24 percent), baths (9 percent) and showers (21 percent). Leaks in bathroom faucets add another five percent, so the total amounts to much more than just a drop in the bucket.

• Reduce your water flow to a pencil-width when you turn on the water to wash your hands, dishes and fruits and vegetables. Two-thirds of the water we generally use to do most washing jobs is wasted down the drain!
• If your toilet is not low-flow, put a gallon water jug, filled with water, in the tank to displace extra flush water.
• When shaving, or brushing your choppers, don’t run the water continuously.
• Reduce your shower time; try putting a five gallon bucket in the shower basin; it fills in about 6 minutes and is not only a convenient “get out of the shower” timer, but then use the water on your outside plants.
• Only run your dishwasher with full loads.
• Wash your cloths in a front-load washer; they use about half the water of top-loaders.
• Pipe your downspout drains to either a rain barrel or to your planting areas.
• Water your plants/ yard on a windless morning, before 9 AM; that helps keep the moisture from ending up in the neighbor’s yard and allows the plants or turf to dry out during the day.
• Instead of washing down your driveway or sidewalks, use a broom or leaf blower.