Visit www.bewaterwise.com for complete indoor and outdoor water saving tips!
Indoor Tips
Check for leaks. Turn off all water sources inside and outside your home. Check your water meter to see if it is moving. This is an easy way to detect if you have a leak in your system. How to read your water meter?
Turn it off! Turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth, washing your face, or shaving. Saves 2 or more gallons per minute.
Take short showers. Limit your shower time to five minutes or less. Saves 2.5 gallons per minute.
Check for toilet leaks. Place a drop of food dye in the tank of your toilet and wait five minutes. If the dye appears in the toilet bowl, you have a leaking flapper. Depending on the size of the leak, repairs are usually inexpensive and simple and can save thousands to tens of thousands of gallons per year.
Run only full loads in the dishwasher. Saves 3 gallons per load.
Wash only full loads of laundry in the clothes washer. Saves 30 gallons per load.
When washing dishes by hand, fill one side with soapy water to wash and the other with water to rinse, rather than running the faucet.
Replace older, high water-using toilets with high efficiency models. Saves 38 gallons per toilet, per day.
Replace high water-using showerheads with models that use 2.5 gallons or less per minute. This can save 750 gallons or more per month.
Repair leaky faucets. One drop per second wastes 2,700 gallons per year.
Retrofit faucets to include an aerator with flow restriction.
Instead of running the tap for a cold glass of water, fill a pitcher and store it in the refrigerator to keep cold water on hand at all times.
While waiting for the water to heat up, capture the cold water in a bucket or pitcher and use it to water plants or wash fruits and vegetables. Utilizing the water instead of letting run down the drain can save 2+ gallons per minute.
Outdoor Tips
Replace high water-using plants with native, drought-resistant plants. These plants are better suited for southern California’s semi-arid environment and require very little water.
Replace non-recreational grass with synthetic turf or California Friendly trees and shrubs.
Retrofit your irrigation systems with rotating nozzles and a weather-based irrigation controller. Replacing the controller can save more than 1200 gallons per month.
Repair any irrigation system leaks, overspray, or misting immediately. Repair or adjustments can save 500 gallons per month.
Next time your sprinkler system goes on, watch for overspray or misting. If your system is watering the sidewalk or driveway, adjust your sprinkler heads. If water is misting in the air, you may need to reduce the pressure on your system.
Irrigate landscape during early morning or late at night to reduce water waste. Less water is lost to evaporation and wind between 6pm and 8am. Savings of up to 775 gallons per month.
Adjust your irrigation schedule weekly throughout the year. Water less in the winter and more in the summer, making sure to turn the system off when it’s raining.
Use a broom rather than a hose to clear dirt and debris from your hardscape and save 150 gallons each time.
Use an automatic shutoff nozzle on your hose to prevent water from running in between use. A hose left running without a nozzle can waste up to 10 gallons per minute.
Plant vegetation by hydrozone. This technique groups plants with similar water needs in the same area so that they receive the correct amount of water.
Use mulches and composts. This helps reduce weed growth and builds healthy soils and retains soil moisture, allowing for longer periods between irrigation while conserving hundreds of gallons per month.
Give plants the appropriate amount of water. More plants die from over-watering than from under-watering.
Hand-water with a hose when possible. Homeowners who water with a hand-held hose use up to one-third less water outdoors than those who use automatic sprinklers.
Check the depth of moisture in your landscape by using a soil moisture meter or a spade. If there is moisture 2-3 inches down, the landscape does not need to be watered.
Use a commercial car wash instead of washing your car at home. Commercial car washes recycle their rinse water and prevent dirty water from entering our storm drains.
