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Water Conservation
Hi paddlers,
Okay...so maybe we are stretching here a bit but for those of us that love
being out on the water, we need to focus in on how we can also conserve
water at home. Did you know that water is a very precious commodity
and, yet,
Americans use more per capita than in any other part of the world.
The following tips have been compiled for the "water-lover' in all of us:
- Don't rinse dishes before loading them in the dishwasher--
just scrape them and let your dishwasher do the work it was designed
to do. - Place a jug of water in the refrigerator for cold drinking water rather
than letting the water run until it's cold. - When washing dishes by hand, fill the basin rather than
leaving the tap on and washing dishes under a steady flow of water.
- Install dual-flush toilets or the newer 1-gallon models.
You'll recoup your costs in water savings more quickly than you think.
- Replace your old shower head with a low-flow fixture.
- Limit showers to 10 minutes.
- Test your toilets to find out if they're leaking, and if they are,
make any necessary repairs.
A leaky toilet can waste 200 gallons of water daily.
- Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth and shaving,
and you'll save more than 200 gallons of water each month.
- Likewise, if possible, turn the tap off while lathering when you're washing your hands,
and you'll save nearly a gallon of water with each hand-washing - Invest in a high-efficiency washing machine. They use less than half the water of many traditional models.
- Presoak heavily soiled clothing in a basin rather than using the heavy-duty cycle.
- Wash only full loads of laundry; the same amount of water is used whether the load
is full or half full - Regularly check any irrigation systems and garden hoses for leaks.
- Water your lawn less. Most lawns only need to be water twice a week in the summer.
- Collect rainwater for watering your garden.
Saving water is often about little changes you can make to your routine.
Not only will those little changes conserve water, they'll save you money