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SAVING WATER INDOORS Learning to conserve water is easy. It is only a matter of using the water we need more efficiently.Saving Water in the Bathroom Toilets: Did you know the American Water Works Association (AWWA) estimates that toilets use the most water indoors at an average of 20 gallons per person per day? That adds up to 7,200 gallons per person per year. New technologies have greatly improved the performance of low-flush toilets (1.6 gallons per flush), and installing one can save 4,320 gallons a year per person. If you are a Dallas Water Utilities customer you may qualify for a $90 voucher (up to two vouchers per household) towards the purchase of a low-flush or ultra low-flush toilet. Go to our New Throne for Your Home webpage for information on the toilet voucher program. Check your toilet for leaks, and repair them promptly. Toilets frequently leak around the flush valve, wasting 20 gallons or more per day. To check for leaks, put a few drops of food coloring in the tank of your toilet. Do not flush the toilet for 10 to 15 minutes. After that time, if the bowl shows traces of food coloring, you have a leak. The flapper valve of the toilet should be checked in this manner at least once a year. Never use the toilet as a wastebasket. Bathing: At five to 10 gallons a minute, a 10 minute shower can use as much as 100 gallons of water. Take shorter showers and install a low-flow showerhead (one that dispenses less than 3 gallons per minute). You can have an invigorating shower, with no reduction in water pressure and still use half the water of a less efficient showerhead. Newer showerheads have switches that allow you to stop the water flow while soaping up or washing your hair. Also: Turn water off when brushing your teeth or shaving. Saving Water in the Kitchen and Laundry Room The second largest user of water inside the home is the clothes washer, using 30 to 40 gallons of water per load. When it is time to replace your washing machine, consider a low-water use clothes washer. And always remember to wash only full loads. If you only have a few items, use the smaller load setting on your washer. Repair leaking faucets. The AWWA estimates almost 14 percent of our indoor water use is lost to leaks. A slow drip can waste over 7,000 gallons per year. Often those drips can be stopped by simply replacing a washer. Install faucet aerators. Aerators are inexpensive and can reduce the amount of water used by 50 percent. It is estimated that faucets use 10 gallons per person per day, so an aerator could save 1,825 gallons per year per person. Never pour grease or oil down a drain. You will clog your drain or waste a great deal of water trying to get the grease down your pipes. For more information about what to do with your cooking oil and grease, visit the Dallas Water Utilities' Grease Abatement Program page. Rinse dishes in a pan; don't rinse under running water. If you use a dishwasher, wash only full loads. Dishwashers use about 15 gallons of water each time per use. Keep a jug of water in the refrigerator to avoid running the tap until the water runs cool. |