Water Conservation Tips

Water Conservation Tips

Why I should Conserve Water?

Conserving water will increase the likelihood that adequate water will be available during drought conditions

Water demands will continue to increase as population growth occurs
Conserving water will allow you to pay a lower water and sewer bill

Conserving water will delay expansion of the water system which will help keep water rates down

Conserving water will also delay expansion of the wastewater facilities which will help keep sewer rates down

It is the right thing to do

A faucet leaking at the rate of just�� 3 drops / second adds up to a whopping 3,285 gallons of water a year, enough to fill a normal bathroom to ceiling level.� If the leak in this example were hot water, not only would the water have been wasted but also the energy used to heat the water and the money used to pay for the energy � all down the drain.

Allowing water to run while not actually being used, for instance when brushing teeth or shaving, can be very wasteful.� Turning off the water at those times can conserve as much as six gallons a day or more than 2,000 gallons a year.�

A leaky toilet can account for a large percentage of house- hold water loss.� Very often this leakage may be due to a worn flapper valve that can be quickly replaced at minimal cost.

Tips for Conserving Water

Turn off water while brushing teeth and shaving
Only run washing machines and dishwashers when you have a full load
When washing dishes by hand, only run the faucet when you rinse a dish or pan or use a pan of water to rinse dishes
Keep a jug of water in your refrigerator so you don't have to run your cold water tap until the water cools

Turn shower off while soaping up

Reduce the level of water in your bath

Repair leaky toilets, faucets, hoses, and pipes

Minimize detergent use and soak pots and pans before washing by hand

Use low water consumption shower heads and toilets

Don't water lawns or shrubs during daytime hours in the summer when evaporation rates are the highest

Water lawns only when grass begins to show signs of stress

Don't water the pavement or use a hose to wash the driveway or sidewalks

It has been reported that U.S. citizens on average use about 144 gallons of water / day. If each consumer in the Baltimore City Water System were to save just one gallon of water a day, the resulting savings would exceed 1/2 billion gallons over the period of a year!