Saving Water Inside the Home

1. The single most effective conservation step that can be taken inside the home is to install water efficient showerheads. They provide great showers, yet use 30% to 70% less water.

2. Use half as much water by installing water efficient aerators on the bathroom and kitchen sinks.

3. Turn off the water while brushing your teeth.

4. Toilet water use can be cut by up to 70% by installing water efficient or air assisted commodes. If replacing your commode isn't an option, place a half gallon plastic jug of water in your tank and cut your water use by 20%

5. Laundry accounts for about 14% of home water use. Adjust the water level on your machine to match the size of your load.

6. Repair leaks immediately. A dripping faucet can waste 2 gallons of water per hour. A leaking toilet can start off using 1 cup of water per minute before you ever are able to hear the leak.

Saving Water On Outside Watering of Your Landscape

1. Reduce your watering frequency to once every five days. This encourages deeper, more drought-tolerant roots on your turf.

2. If it rains an inch or more, wait atleast five days to water.

3. Mulch trees and plants to retain moisture and prevent evaporation.

4. If your sprinkler sprays a fine mist, you're losing a lot of water to evaporation. Try a different sprinkler head or better yet, a drop irrigation system.

5. When washing your car, use a cut-off nozzle instead of running the hose continuously. This will save 8 gallons of water per minute.

6. When installing a new lawn or planning landscaping, consider using plant and grass varieties that are adapted to your site and require little supplemental water once established. The local Texas Agricultural Extension Service, local nurseries or garden shops can provide you with more information on these varieties available in this area.

Are you watering your lawn efficiently? Are you paying for more water than you need?
Here's how to gauge your sprinkling needs:

1. Set out several 12oz turn or can food cans at different distances from the sprinkler head, including one at the outside edge of the watering coverage.

2. Run the sprinkler for 10 minutes.

3. User a ruler to measure the amount of water collected in each can.

4. Add the measurements from each can and then divide the total by the number of cans to get an average.

5. Multiply this average by six to determine how many inches of water would be applied in an hour.

6. It is best to water your lawn thoroughly 1 or 2 inches at a time to encourage deep root growth. (Don't forget to factor in any rainfall.)

7. How frequently you should water depends on the kind of lawn you have:

Remember, excessively hot and dry weather will cause most turf grasses to go dormant and turn brown. Grass will green up with cooler temperatures, so resist the temptation to overwater.

** Some of these tips were taken from the Water Smart Information provided by the Texas Water Development Board**