Water Conservation is Needed

Changing Your Garden Can Change Your Water Footprint

Did you know that up to 70% of your annual water use occurs outdoors? Replacing your lawn with water-wise plants can save as much as 44 gallons per square foot each year. Here are a few tips on how to maintain a beautiful and less thirsty garden:

•Use less thirsty plants: African daisies, California poppies, celosia, creeping zinnia, cosmos, dwarf morning glories, gaillardia, marigolds, nicotiana, portulaca, and many more beautiful plants require much less water than grass.

• Cut back on fertilizer: It causes the plants to become more thirsty.

• Know your sprinklers: Use water-efficient sprinklers that focus on precise coverage and eliminate run off.

• Water for short intervals: Watering for short periods allows plants time to absorb water without causing run off.

Additional indoor and outdoor water-saving tips are available at Metropolitan’s conservation website bewaterwise.com. The site also has information about education programs and rebates for water-saving devices.

Shorter Showers Means Longer Water Supply

Due to the drought, it’s important to make every drop count. Saving a few gallons every day helps restore our water supply. Here are a few water-saving tips for around the home:

• Washing only full loads of laundry and dishes saves up to 50 gallons per week

• Fixing household leaks promptly saves up to 20 gallons per day

• Taking a five-minute shower saves up to 8 gallons each time

• Turning off the faucet while you brush your teeth saves up to 2.5 gallons per minute

• Buying water-saving devices like high-efficiency toilets, shower heads, clothes and dish washers saves many gallons per day!

Tips for residents and businesses on how to reduce water use inside and outdoors are available at Metropolitan’s conservation website bewaterwise.com®, which also has information about how to apply for several different money-saving/water-saving rebates.