Conservation
Some Tips and Statistics from the AWWA on Water Conservation and Usage
Conservation Tips at Home
Don't over water your lawn. Only water every three to five days in the summer and 10 to 14 days in the winter.- To prevent water loss from evaporation, don't water your lawn during the hottest part of the day or when it is windy.
- Only run the dishwasher and clothes washer when they are fully loaded.
- Defrost frozen food in the refrigerator or in the microwave instead of running water over it.
- When washing dishes by hand, use two basins - one for washing and one for rinsing rather than let the water run.
- Use a broom, rather than a hose, to clean sidewalks and driveways.
- If you have a swimming pool, get a cover. You'll cut the loss of water by evaporation by 90 percent.
- Repair dripping faucets and leaky toilets. Dripping faucets can waste about 2,000 gallons of water each year. Leaky toilets can waste as much as 200 gallons each day.
Conservation Tips for Outside
- Maintain a lawn height of 2 1/2 to 3 inches to help protect the roots from heat stress and reduce the loss of moisture to evaporation.
- Avoid planting turf in areas that are difficult to irrigate properly such as steep inclines and isolated strips along sidewalks and driveways.
- Aerate clay soils at least once a year to help the soil retain moisture.
- Promote deep root growth through a combination of proper watering, aerating, appropriate fertilization, thatch (grass clippings) control, and attention to lawn height. A lawn with deep roots requires less water and is more resistant to drought and disease.
- Mulch around plants, bushes and trees to help the soil retain moisture, discourage the growth of weeds, and provide essential nutrients.
- Plant in the spring or fall, when watering requirements are lower.
- When choosing plants, keep in mind that smaller ones require less water to become established.
- Collect rain water in a barrel and use it to water your garden (please note, this is not a legal practice in all areas).
- Use porous materials for walkways and patios to keep water in your yard and prevent wasteful runoff.
Water Use Statistics
Daily indoor per capita water use in the typical single family home is 69.3 gallons. Here is how it breaks down:
| Use |
Gallons per Capita |
Percentage of Total Daily Use |
| Showers |
11.6 |
16.8% |
| Clothes Washers |
15.0 |
21.7% |
| Dishwashers |
1.0 |
1.4% |
| Toilets |
18.5 |
26.7% |
| Baths |
1.2 |
1.7% |
| Leaks |
9.5 |
13.7% |
| Faucets |
10.9 |
15.7% |
| Other Domestic Uses |
1.6 |
2.2% |
By installing more efficient water fixtures and regularly checking for leaks, households can reduce daily per capita water use by about 35% to about 45.2 gallons per day Here's how it breaks down for households using conservation measures:
| Use |
Gallons per Capita |
Percentage of Total Daily Use |
| Showers |
8.8 |
19.5% |
| Clothes Washers |
10.0 |
22.1% |
| Dishwashers |
0.7 |
1.5% |
| Toilets |
8.2 |
18.0% |
| Baths |
1.2 |
2.7% |
| Leaks |
4.0 |
8.8% |
| Faucets |
10.8 |
23.9% |
| Other Domestic Uses |
1.6 |
3.4% |
If all U.S. households installed water-saving features, water use would decrease by 30 percent, saving an estimated 5.4 billion gallons per day. This would result in dollar-volume savings of $11.3 million per day or more than $4 billion per year.
- Water-conserving fixtures installed in U.S. households in 1998 alone saved 44 million gallons of water every day, resulting in total dollar-value savings of more than $33.6 million per year.
- Average household water use annually: 127,400 gallons
- Average daily household water use : 350 gallons