| WATER TIPS |
|
|
 |
- Water your lawn like a winner.
Watering your lawn in the early morning or early evenings
minimize evaporation and waste. Lawns only need watering once every
three to five days in the summer and once every seven to 14 days in
the winter. A hearty rain can eliminate the need for watering for up
to two weeks.
- Make tuna cans do double duty
Lawns only need about one half to ¾ inch of water at a time. To
determine how long it takes your irrigation system to put out half
an inch of water, place cans around the yard and measure the water
collected in half an hour. Spread several cans around your yard to
test for even distribution of water.
- Sprinkle your yard with care
Install water-efficient sprinklers and a rain sensor switch to
override your system when it rains. Check timing device settings
regularly. Install soaker hoses or drip irrigation systems for
planting beds with shrubs and flowers. Make sure you are watering
your plants and not the street or driveways.
- Celebrate your surroundings
Landscape with drought-tolerant ornamental grasses, plants and
trees. Group plants together based on similar water needs. Mulch to
retain moisture and reduce weeds.
- 5. Avoid buzz cuts and backaches
Raising your lawn mower blade to its highest setting encourages
grass roots to grow deeper and grass blades to hold moisture longer
that with a closely clipped lawn. Apply fertilizers sparingly and
use fertilizer that contain slow-release, water-insoluble forms of
nitrogen.
- Buy a nozzle for the nose of your hose
Place a shut-off nozzle on your hose to control the flow of water so
you only use what you need. Remember to turn the water off at the
faucet to prevent leaks.
- Save time and save water
If you don't have a automatic timer on your sprinkler, use a kitchen
timer to remind you to turn off the water. left unattended, a garden
hose can waste as much as 600 gallons of water in just on hour.
- Meet you water meter
Find out if you have a leak in your home by reading your water meter
before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If
the readings are different, you have a leak. If you have a well,
listen to see if the pump kicks on and off while the water is not is
use. If it does, you have a leak.
- Make a faucet washer a water saver
Repair dripping faucets by replacing washers. If your faucet is
dripping at the rate of one drop per second, you can waste 20
gallons of water each day. A steady stream of water the size of a
pencil can waste from 7,200 to 13,000 gallons of water each day
(depending upon water pressure).
- Use food coloring to save water
Detect toilet leaks by removing the lid from the toilet tank, remove
any colored cleaning agents, flush to clear water in the bowl, then
add a few drops of food coloring to the tank. If the tank is
leaking, color will appear in the bowl within 30 minutes. To avoid
staining the bowl, flush as soon as the test is complete. A leaky
tank can waste 200 gallons of water each day. Replace worn, corroded
or bent parts.
- Delay household chores
Run automatic dishwashers only when fully loaded. Set clothes washes
to the appropriate water level for the size of load you are washing.
- Shower yourself with savings
By timing your showers to keep them under five minutes and
installing low-flow showerheads, you can save water. The older the
showerhead, the more water it uses. New showerhead delivers 2.5
gallons of water per minute. Older fixtures can deliver as high as
eight gallons per minute.
|
|
|
