Water Conservation Checklist

Think More about Using Less!

 

Check here if complete

 Water Saving Opportunities

Potential Savings
Indoor Opportunities
  Check your faucets inside and outside.  Make sure the faucets are shut off completely and in good repair.  A dripping faucet can waste more water in one day than most people drink in one week. Up to 170 gallons/day
  Do not leave water running while brushing your teeth, shaving, or washing your face.  3 - 5 gallons/minute
  Limit showers to five minutes or less and turn the water off while your soap up. 8 - 9 gallons/day
  Install low-flow shower heads (maximum flow rate of 2.5 gallons/minute). about 5 gallons/day
  Do not use the toilet as a waste basket. 1 - 7 gallons/flush
  Don't let the water run until it's cold.  Refrigerate a bottle of tap water instead! 3 - 5 gallons/minute
  Never send water down the drain if there is a better use for it! 3 - 5 gallons/minute
  When using your dishwasher, only wash full loads.  Small loads use the same amount of water as full loads.  
  Plan ahead to defrost foods overnight in the refrigerator.  Do not use running water. 3 - 5 gallons/minute
  Install faucet aerators on all indoor taps. 1.5 - 3.5 gallons/ minute
  Speed cleaning food by using a vegetable brush. 3 - 5 gallons/minute
  Avoid using the garbage disposal. 3 - 5 gallons/minute
  While eating out, order water only if you need it.  
  Check your toilets for leaks. Put a few drops of food coloring in your toilet tank.  If the coloring begins to show in the toilet bowl, you have a leak that should be repaired. 180 - 200 gallons/day
  Check out the current incentives available for ultra-low flush toilets, high efficiency washing machines, and "smart" weather-based irrigation controllers by clicking here.  
Education
  Visit a xeriscape garden or visit www.thegarden.com.
  Attend a landscape workshop - Check with us for upcoming events.  Topics typically include landscape design, plant identification, system maintenance, clock programming.
Outdoor Opportunities
  Water your landscape in the coolest part of the day - early morning.  Less water will evaporate or drift away in the breeze.
  Plant xeriscape or drought resistant plants.  There are many beautiful plants that thrive with little or no irrigation in our semiarid region.
 

Water your lawn only when it needs it.  If you leave footprints behind when you walk on your lawn, it is getting too much water!
  Use a trigger nozzle when washing your car. This way, the water will be flowing only when you need it.  Better yet, wash the car on the lawn using a mild dish detergent.  It won't harm the grass.
  Once a month, shut off all the water being used in the house and out in the yard.  Go out to the meter and look for the little red triangle (tattle tale) located on the face of the meter.  If it is spinning, you may have a leak.
  Keep lawns mowed to a taller height (2") to encourage a deeper, more drought tolerant and pet-tolerant root system.
  Maintain your irrigation system by repairing all broken heads and correcting any tilted or misaligned sprinkler heads.
  Do not mix sprinkler types on one valve. For example, do not mix pop-ups and rotors on the same valve.
  Adjust the pressure on your system to prevent misting.
  Use drip or micro-irrigation in planting areas and flower beds.
  Adjust irrigation run-times by determining an application rate specific to your yard.  Use the landscape calculator at www.sandiego.gov/water/conservation or the global water index at www.mwdh2o.org.
  Use low-water-use native or California heritage plants in at least 75% of your landscape.  Check out the NIFTY FIFTY here!
  Replace 20% of your lawn with low-water use plants or porous materials such as gravel or mulch.  (If applicable, remember to check with your homeowner's association first.)
  Group plants according to water and maintenance needs and irrigate on the same valve.  This is called hydro-zoning.
  Eliminate invasive and exotic landscape plants from your property.
  Maintain a minimum of 100' clearance of weeds and dry vegetation around your home.
  Maintain a 2" - 3" layer of organic mulch over tree roots, shrubs, and plant beds while leaving a 2" space between the plant base and the mulch.

 

 Wash your car on the grass, not in the driveway.
  Pool and spa covers reduce evaporation.
  Avoid overflow and splashed from swimming pools by reducing the water level.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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