Water Conservation
Looking to conserve water and money?
Good water is a precious resource that is essential to our survival. Using water efficiently and wisely will help conserve resources, such as reducing the amount of chemicals used in water treatment and reducing the energy used to heat water. Taking even small steps to reduce water consumption will also save you money.
In Your Bathroom
- Repair leaks. In the toilet put a drop of food coloring in the toilet tank. If it seeps into the toilet bowl you have a leak. Fix leaky faucets. A tap that drips one drop per second wastes about 10,000 litres per year.
- Install water saving aerators on your water faucets and low flow shower heads in the shower. Visit the EcoStore for Indoor Water Saver Kits.
- Avoid running the tap while brushing your teeth, shaving, washing up and cleaning. Take shorter showers. Only fill the bathtub half full.
- The toilet is the greatest water waster in any household. Replace your old toilet with a low-flush model. Check out the City of Calgary’s Toilet Replacement Program at http://www.calgary.ca/toilet
In your kitchen:
- Run your dishwasher only when it’s full.
- Wash fruits and vegetables in a bowl or basin using a vegetable brush instead of letting the water run. Use leftover water to water your plants.
- Consider composting, garbage disposals use hundreds of litres of water a week.
- Insulate hot water pipes and tanks so that you don’t have to run as much water to get hot water to the faucet.
- Chill your water in the fridge instead of running the faucet until the water is cold.
In your laundry room:
- Run your washing machine only when it is full.
- Consider purchasing a front-loading washing machine and save up to half as much water per load.
In your yard:
- Your lawn only needs one inch of rain every week to stay healthy and if it rained an inch in the last week there is no need to water.
- Avoid watering your sidewalk and driveway.
- Consider replacing your grass with low water-use plants and ground cover.