I found a great chart over at Plumbersurplus.com about how simply changing some water use behavior can save enormous amounts of water (and money!) Saving water is one of the greenest things you can do, since excessive water use depletes fragile lake and river ecosystems.
The chart highlights how small changes in behavior can translate into huge gains for the environment and your wallet.
Indoor Living
| If You….. | You Could Save…. |
| Fix leaky faucets and toilets | 20-50 gallons / day / fixture |
| Install aerators on all faucets | 4.7 gallons / day / faucet |
| Run only full loads in your clothes and dish washers | 300-800 gallons / month |
| Keep showers to less than 10 minutes | 700 gallons / month |
| Turn off water when brushing teeth or shaving | 240 gallons / month |
| Don’t use toilet as a trash can | 400-600 gallons / month |
| Replace old toilet with more efficient toilet | 2.2-3.8 gallon / flush |
| Replace clothes washer with efficient appliance | 20-30 gallons / load |
| Replace old showerhead with one that uses 2.5 gallons per minute | 1000s of gallons / month |
| When hand washing dishes, fill sink, don’t leave water running | 2.5 gallons / minute |
Outside landscaping
| If You….. | You Could Save…. |
| While hand watering, focus on dry spots, pay attention to avoid runoff | 750-1500 gallons / month |
| Reduce irrigation cycles by 1-3 minutes | 15-25 gallons / minute |
| Irrigate your landscapes only in the early morning hours (5 a.m.) | 20-25 gallons / day |
| Adjust irrigation timer valve, run times seasonally | 250 gallons / cycle |
| Adjust sprinklers to avoid unnecessary over spray | 500 gallons / month |
| Fix leaky and broken sprinkler heads | 20 gallons / day |
| Replace spray head nozzles with rotator nozzles | 1200 gallons / year / nozzle |
| Use drips or bubblers to irrigate your flower and shrub beds | 20-25 gallons / day |
| Use irrigation controller with rain sensor | 40 gallons / day |
| Replace part of lawn with low water plants | 1000-1800 gallons / month |
| Put 2-4 inches of mulch around bushes, trees and shrubs | 20-30 gallons / day / 1000 ft2 |
Outdoor Cleaning
| If You….. | You Could Save…. |
| Clean sidewalks and driveways with broom rather than hose | 8-18 gallons / minute |
| Take car to car wash or at least use a self-closing hose nozzle | 8-18 gallons / minute |
| Use pool and spa covers | 30 gallons / day |
| Repair leaks around hose bibs, spigots, pool and spa pumps | 15-20 gallons / day / leak |
| Clean pool filter manually rather than back wash | 250-1000 gallons / cleaning |
(Source)
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