Outdoors
- Wash the car with a bucket instead of the hose.
- Use a broom instead of water to clean your sidewalks and driveways.
Water Saving Landscape & Irrigation Strategies
- Water your lawns in the cool part of the day before sunrise or after sunset to maximize water absorption into the soil and minimize evaporation loss.
- Water your lawn only when needed. Most plants do not need to be watered every day & excess watering is wasteful and can even harm some plants.
- Maintain your sprinklers. Leak-proof your sprinklers and ensure they are not aimed at sidewalks, streets or driveways.
- Plant low water use plants
- Set mower blades to 4" high and keep them sharp.
- Use a trigger or automatic shut-off nozzle on your hose.
- Use mulch around trees and plants.
- Suspend your irrigation after each rain (rebates available for rain-shutoff switches)
- Use drip irrigation or soaker hoses to water trees, shrubs, and flower beds.
- Integrate hardscape into your landscaping (rocks, bricks, gravel and decks).
Visit our Landscape Watering Principles & Guides page and Landscaping Rebate Program page.
Indoors
In the Bathroom
- Take short showers (five-minute or less) .
- Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or shaving.
- Check and fix "silent" leaks in toilets or plumbing fixtures.
In the Kitchen or Laundry
- Only wash full loads (of laundry).
- Clean veggies in a bowl of water (rather than running it)
- Use your garbage disposal sparingly.
- Thaw food in a microwave (not in hot water).
- If you pre-clean dishes, put a little water in the sinkinstead of running the water.
- Keep a gallon of cold water in the refrigerator rather than running the tap for cold water.
- Insulate your pipes to save heating costs.
Community
- Support local businesses that practice conservation: commercial car washes that recycle water; restaurants that serve water only on request, and hotels that give you the option of using your linens for a second night's stay)
- Ask your teachers or school administrators if they teach water conservation.
- Watch for and report broken, poorly timed or misaligned sprinklers.