Water Management Tips – Water is a precious gift and must be used wisely by each and every one of us. When it comes to conserving water, even small adjustments can have a significant impact. The water management tips that you will learn are going to help you save water.
After two years of drought, California finally experiences the arrival of rain. Studies have shown that the 2012-2014 drought has been the worst in 1,200 years, and the state could be waiting for years to recover, as above-average precipitation will be necessary to rebalance the state’s water resources.
Although the current period of low precipitation is not unusual in California’s history, the rainfall deficits combined with sustained record-high temperatures created the current multiyear severe water shortages. 80% of groundwater measurements taken in the spring of 2014 showed decreasing levels from the spring of 2013 and much of the agricultural land in the Central Valley and in California’s thirstiest coastal cities have recorded 50-foot drops in groundwater levels.
Kitchen, Bathroom and Laundry Room Water Management Tips
We use large amounts of water in the kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room, especially when we’re using hot water, but unfortunately, even more, water is lost in the process of washing dishes, clothes, or bathing. All ways to save water start with us and our willingness to do so. Here are a few tips to help you save water:
Kitchen
- cook food in as little water as possible
- designate one glass for your drinking water each day, or refill a water bottle
- dishwashers typically use less water than washing dishes by hand
- for water efficiency and food safety, defrost food in the refrigerator
- cut back on rinsing if your dishwasher is new
- keep a pitcher of drinking water in the refrigerator instead of running the tap
- reuse leftover water from cooked or steamed foods to start a nutritious soup
- soak pots and pans instead of letting the water run while you scrape them clean
- compost vegetable food waste and save gallons every time
- wash your fruits and vegetables in a pan of water instead of running water from the tap
- do not let the water run when washing dishes by hand
Bathroom
- be sure to test your toilet for leaks at least once a year
- drop tissues in the trash instead of flushing them and save water every time
- if your toilet flapper does not close properly after flushing, replace it
- install water-saving aerators on all of your faucets
- plug the sink instead of running the water to rinse your razor (save up to 300 gallons a month)
- shorten your shower by a minute or two (you will save up to 150 gallons per month)
- take 5-minute showers instead of baths
- time your shower to keep it under 5 minutes (you will save up to 1,000 gallons per month)
- turn off the water while washing your hair (save up to 150 gallons a month)
- turn off the water while you brush your teeth (save up to 4 gallons a minute)
- when running a bath, plug the bathtub before turning on the water and adjust the temperature as the tub fills
- when washing your hands, turn the water off while you lather
- while you wait for hot water, collect the running water and use it to water plants
Laundry Room
- compare resource savings among Energy Star models when shopping for a new washing machine (some can save up to 20 gallons of water per load).
- have a plumber re-route your greywater to trees and plants rather than the sewer line but check with your city and county for codes
- match the water level to the size of the load when doing laundry
- wash dark clothes in cold water (it saves water and energy and helps your clothes retain their color)
- when buying a washer, check the Consortium for Energy Efficiency website to compare water use between models
California Faces a Multi-Stage Recovery
Drought has multiple phases and there is a distinction between the so-called meteorological drought and hydrological drought. There is often a lag between these two. Even if there is abundant rain, it will not translate immediately into more water in reservoirs. Intermediate forces such as trees, soils, and the Sun each take their own share of the resource, preventing precious water from reaching California’s historically low reservoir levels.
Before precipitation can generate significant runoff, most of the state’s soil has a long way to go to become truly moist. The ideal rain that would allow soils to saturate several feet below would be slow and soaking. Although the recent rains have provided a small but welcomed boost to reservoirs so far, there still is a long way before California is completely out of the water crisis.
However, the violent cloudbursts that are lately happening across the state are not that good. They may only dampen the first few inches of soil and the Sun dries out the top layers quite fast, but the real problem sits in streams, where these cloudbursts produce a quick flush of water resulting in flash floods.
Call us at 760.734.5787 and get in touch with one of our water experts today. Over 70 years of combined water treatment experience is at your service!
Resources:
