Performing inspections and regular maintenance of your indoor/outdoor plumbing & irrigation is the best practice in saving water. 

Did you know a faucet that drips just once per second wastes 27,000 gallons annually? This is the equivalent of 270+ loads of laundry per year for an average household!

So while doing your "Spring Cleaning" also check your plumbing and irrigation for breaks or leaks around seals, faucets and hose bibs.

  WaterSense is a partnership program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that seeks to protect the future of our nation's water supply by promoting water efficiency and enhancing the market for water-efficient products, programs, and practices.  Look for the WaterSense logo when you are shopping to identify high-performing, water-efficient products.  By installing aerators on all the faucets and high efficiency toilets you could save 1.2-19 gallons per day!

Fill the bathtub halfway or less which will save about 12 gallons per bath. 

Showering for only 5 minutes using a water-efficient shower head can save 12.5 gallons per shower. If you shut-off the water while shaving or lathering you can save another 10 gallons per day.

Wash clothes & dishes only when you have full loads. Also, scrape off the food scraps instead of rinsing each dish before you load it. 

Washer: saves 15–45 gallons per load*
Dishwasher: saves 5–15 gallons per load*

 Washing by hand? Kitchen faucets can spew about 2 to 5 gallons of water per minute. If you're letting your faucet run the entire time while you're washing dishes,  you've already used the same amount of water as a dishwasher after approximately 2 minutes.  Instead of letting the water run, fill the sink no more than half full with water and detergent, turn off the tap, and wash a stack of dishes at a time. Don't drain or refill the sink unless the water becomes cold or dirty. Rinse your dishes in standing water. 

*ENERGY STAR-rated appliances

Tips  

~ Remove the lawn & if not, cut lawn down to 3”

~ Reduce irrigation by one day a week.

~ Start Rainwater Harvesting

~ Re-use gray water. For more info: https://www.sonomawater.org/graywater

~ Inspect & tune-up your sprinkler system monthly.

~ Water between midnight and 6:00 a.m. 

~ Plant native drought resistant plants/trees

Free landscape design templates can be found on   http://www.savingwaterpartnership.org/concept-plans-and-design-templates/ 

Hire a qualified landscaper. For more information visit the QWEL website.  

A standard garden hose uses approximately 10 gallons/minute. Which means leaving on for 10-minute = 100 gallons of water. 

Ways you can save water while washing your vehicle is by using water-less products, use a bucket and a hose with an automatic shut-off nozzle when you wash the car, or take your car to a car-wash that recycles.

Other ways to conserve water:

•  Use a broom, not a hose, to clean your driveway, deck or patio.
• Cover pools and hot-tubs to reduce evaporation.