Celebrate Water Conservation Month by Saving Water Indoors

water conservation tips

This April marks the 20th anniversary of Water Conservation Month. This month is traditionally one of the driest of the year and marks the peak demand season for public water suppliers. 

The District especially encourages conservation throughout April on top of year-round conservation. District residents can participate by being mindful of water use in their everyday household activities. 

Here are some tips on saving water indoors: 

  • Use the home’s water meter to check for leaks. Turn off all faucets and water-using appliances and make sure water is not being used during this testing period. Go to the water meter and record the current reading. After 30 minutes without using water, read the meter again. If the reading has changed, there is a leak.
  • Watch out for silent leaks in toilets. Remove the toilet tank lid and any colored cleaning agents. Flush to clear the water in the bowl. Add dye tablets, leak detector fluid or even a few drops of food coloring to the tank. If there is a leak, color will appear in the bowl within 10 to 15 minutes. Flush when the test is completed.
  • Take shorter showers and make sure there are no leaks in showerheads. If there is a leak, make sure the showerhead is screwed tightly. Additionally, make sure showerheads are low-flow. Older high-volume showerheads deliver 4 gallons of water per minute. New low-volume showerheads deliver 2.5 gallons per minute. Pressures have been adjusted to the low-flow fixtures to deliver as good a shower as the higher flow showerheads.
  • Adjust wash cycles for laundry. Select the minimum volume of water required for each load. Normal and permanent press wash cycles use more water, so use the shortest wash cycle for lightly soiled loads. Stains can be pretreated to avoid rewashing.

 

To learn more about water conservation, please visit WaterMatters.org/Conservation.