Two consecutive record-dry winters throughout California have resulted in the greatest threat to our water supply in nearly 20 years, prompting the governor to declare a statewide drought. Reduce water consumption in your home. It is especially important to detect, fix and prevent leaks. If you rent, report leaks to your building manager or landlord. Nationwide, more than 1 trillion gallons of water leak from U.S. homes each year!

In the kitchen, bathroom and laundry room don't leave water running and fill the sink to wash and rinse. Make sure to check faucets and pipes for leaks since even a small leak can waste more than 50 gallons of water per day and larger leaks can waste hundreds of gallons! Equip faucets with aerators on kitchen and bathroom sinks, which can reduce indoor water use by about 4%. Upgrading to an efficient clothes washing machine can reduce water and energy use by 40%! Most Energy Star washers use 35 to 50 percent less water and 50 percent less energy per load than non-Energy Star models. Cash rebates are available for purchasing certain efficient home appliances from your local water utility.

Limit showers to the time it takes to lather up, wash down and rinse since a running shower can waste 3-7 gallons per minute. You can also replace older showerheads with new efficient models that use 2.5 gallons per minute or less and they still have good water pressure. Using the newer models can save thousands of gallons per month! Turning off the tap while brushing teeth and shaving can save hundreds of gallons every month. Make sure you replace old toilet flappers and think about purchasing a low flow toilet. Toilets are the largest water user in the home. New high-efficiency toilet models flush at 1.2 gallons or less as opposed to older models, which use up to 7 gallons per flush!

For more information and resources for water conservation visit www.BAWSCA.org.

Citations:
Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency site: www.bawsca.org
Energy Star website: www.energystar.gov
EPA's official site: www.epa.gov

Pictures:
Leaky pipe: http://www.slocity.org/

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