Water Usage Facts

Inside Your House

1. Install faucet aerators and restrictors - inexpensive inserts that can help reduce water use and you can install by yourself.
2. Check for leaky faucets and valves. Leaks waste water twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. An inexpensive washer is usually enough to stop them.
3. Teach children to turn water faucets off tightly after use.
4. Entertaining extra guests? Remember, extra people mean more water usage.

In the Bathroom

1. Check your toilet for leaks. Add a few drops of food coloring to water in tank. If coloring appears in toilet bowl without flushing, there is a leak. Also, listen for the sound of running water.
2. Don't use the toilet as a trash basket or ashtray. The toilet is an expensive disposal, and debris may cause damage to the plumbing.
3. Don’t run the water while brushing your teeth.
4. Turn off the water while shaving.
5. Check bathroom faucets and pipes for leaks. Check for parts that are worn out, out of alignment, or corroded. A small drip can waste fifty or more gallons of water a day!
6. Limit your showers to the time it takes to soap up, wash down and rinse off. Five-minute showers use less water than baths.

In the Kitchen and Laundry

1. Run only a full dishwasher load. Every time you run the dishwasher, you use about twenty-five gallons of water.
2. If you wash dishes by hand, don’t run the water continuously.
3. Don't run the tap waiting for cool water. Use ice cubes or keep a bottle of drinking water in the refrigerator.
4. Wash full loads only or use the load selector on your washing machine.

Outside the House

1. Be aware of outside water usage. An outside water faucet/hose/sprinkler can easily deliver 15 gallons per minute. In an hour this totals 900 gallons. Florida soil can soak up this volume in minutes without even a trace, especially on a hot day.
2. Make every watering count. Water slowly, thoroughly and as infrequently as possible. Water early in the morning to avoid evaporation.
3. Select hardy plants that don't need as much water (try native plants and grasses). Mulch heavily. Let grass grow higher in dry weather to prevent burning and to save water.
4. Cover your swimming pool when it is not in use to prevent evaporation. Recycle wading pool water for plants, shrubs and lawns.
5. Clean pool decks, sidewalks, and driveways with a broom instead of water.
6. Wash your car using a bucket of water rather than running a garden hose constantly.