Save Water Where You Live
1994 was the year that federally mandated low-flow showerheads, faucets, and toilets started to appear on the scene in significant numbers. On average, 10 gallons per day of your water footprint (or 14% of your indoor use) is lost to leaks. Short of installing new water-efficient fixtures, one of the easiest, most effective ways to cut your footprint is by repairing leaky faucets and toilets.
If you use a low-flow showerhead, you can save 15 gallons of water during a 10-minute shower. Every time you shave minutes off your use of hot water, you also save energy and keep dollars in your pocket. It takes about 70 gallons of water to fill a bathtub, so showers are generally the more water-efficient way to bathe.
All of those flushes can add up to nearly 20 gallons a day down the toilet. If you still have a standard toilet, which uses close to 3.5 gallons a flush, you can save by retrofitting or filling your tank with something that will displace some of that water, such as a brick.
Most front-loading machines are energy- and water-efficient, using just over 20 gallons a load, while most top-loading machines, unless they are energy-efficient, use 40 gallons per load. Nearly 22% of indoor home water use comes from doing laundry. Save water by making sure to adjust the settings on your machine to the proper load size.
Dishwashing is a relatively small part of your water footprint—less than 2% of indoor use, but there are always ways to conserve. Using a machine is actually more water efficient than hand washing, especially if you run full loads. Energy Star dishwashers use about 4 gallons of water per load, and even standard machines use only about 6 gallons. Hand washing generally uses about 20 gallons of water each time.
What's Your Water Footprint
Interested to know your water footprint? Take our survey and find out your number!
More Around the Home Tips
Check household faucets for leaks. A faucet with even a slow drip takes 10 to 25 gallons of water. Just think, 15 drips per minute add up to almost 3 gallons of water wasted per day, 65 gallons wasted per month, and 788 gallons wasted per year!
Keep showers to 5 minutes or less in length. A five-minute shower takes 10 to 25 gallons of water.
Keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator. Then you won't have to run tap water to cool it.
Use a broom to sweep your driveway, garage, or sidewalk instead of using water.
Use a bucket of water to wash your bike or the family car and rinse quickly with a hose.
Use water only when you need it. Get in the habit of turning off the water when it’s not being used. So don’t leave the water running when brushing your teeth or shaving. Don't leave water running; be sure to turn it off when you are finished.
Never put water down the drain when there may be another use for it such as watering a plant or garden, or cleaning.
Yards and Pools
Nearly 60% of a person's household water footprint can go toward lawn and garden maintenance. Climate counts—where you live plays a role in how much water you use, especially when it comes to tending to a yard. The average pool takes 22,000 gallons of water to fill, and if you don't cover it, hundreds of gallons of water per month can be lost due to evaporation.
Water your lawn in the evening or in the early morning to avoid evaporation. Be careful to water only the lawn and not the sidewalk or street.
Source: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com and http://www.fcwa.org