We've all heard the saying, "Water is Life." A community cannot exist without a sufficient amount of water resources to meet its future needs. To help ensure that we have enough water for the Coastal Bend, we need your help. It takes getting everyone involved in your home. We often think that toilets, showerheads or faucets waste water; however, the truth is people waste water.  Have you ever ignored a faucet leak for more than a month or watered on a windy day?  Help save our community's water resources.

How to conserve water indoors:
If you don’t already have an ultra-low flush toilet (1.6 gallons per flush), then train yours to use less by installing a toilet dam or plastic jug.
• Install a low-flow showerhead (one that dispenses less than 3 gallons per minute).
• Reduce the level of water in your bath - instead of 10 inches of water, use only three.
• Keep a jug of water in the refrigerator so that you don’t have to run the tap until the water runs cool.
• Only wash full loads in the washing machine and dishwasher.
• Rinse dishes in a pan; don’t rinse under running water.
• Turn water off when brushing your teeth or shaving.

How to conserve water outdoors:
• Use the principles of xeriscape (quality landscaping that conserves water and prevents water pollution) in your yard.
• Plant native, drought-tolerant or adapted plants in your yard.
• Water only in the morning, when evaporation rates are at their lowest.
• Use sprinklers that throw big drops of water close to the ground. Smaller drops and mist often evaporate before they hit the ground.
• Water only when your grass begins to show signs of stress - when it begins to wilt or discolor or when footprints are visible after you’ve walked on it.
• When you do water, water deeply and infrequently to promote good root growth and healthy plants.
• Use a broom to wash your driveway - not a hose.
• Don’t water the pavement.

How to prevent water pollution:
• Buy only the amount of fertilizers, pesticides or other hazardous chemicals that you need so that you don’t have to dispose of the leftovers. Read all the labels and follow directions.
• Be an informed consumer. Consider alternatives if any of the following words are or on labels: caution, warning, danger, poison, flammable, volatile, caustic or corrosive.
•Use organic lawn and garden alternatives that do not contain synthetic chemical poisons.
• Recycle your used oil, automotive fluids, batteries and other products.
• Don’t dispose of hazardous wastes in storm drains, wastewater systems, creeks, alleys or the ground. This pollutes the water supply.

Click here for more terrific water saving ideas.

Learn About the Highest Water User in Your Home
Toilets use more water in the home than any other appliance or fixture totaling approximately 30 percent of residential indoor water consumption. As a result of this usage, toilets often leak contributing to major water loss as well.

Designed for water conservation, high- efficiency toilets (HETs) have been defined by the plumbing industry and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as those that use an average of 20 percent less water per flush than the industry standard of 1.6 gallons (or, 1.28 gallons). Using a high-efficiency unit (in place of 1.6 gallon flush units) can save up to 8,760 gallons of water each year for a family of four with average daily flushes of six each. In municipalities like Washington D.C., this roughly translates to a water/sewer usage annual savings of $50.00. Savings will be greater in climates were water is in shorter supply.

There are four (4) types of water efficient toilet systems currently available.

Gravity Fed Single- Flush Toilets
Gravity fed single- flush toilets operate the same way as any standard toilet, however, they use less total capacity per flush. Typical flush capacities that are available for these models are 1.1 and 1.28 gallons.

Dual-Flush Toilets
Designed for light and heavy flushes, dual-flush toilets tend to average less than 1.2 gallons per flush. They meet HET criteria of 1.28 gallons per flush or less (HET criteria for dual- flush toilets identifies the effective flush volume as the average of one high flush and two low flushes). Dual- flush models are available from many well-known manufacturers with light flush capacities from 0.8 to 1.1 gallons and heavy flush capacities from 1.3 to 1.6 gallons per flush. These toilets typically operate with a handle that can move up or down, or a two-button system. One direction or button will activate the lower flow flush, while the other will activate the higher flow flush.

Pressure Assist Toilets
Pressure assist, or pressurized tank, toilets are another high- performance, low- consumption alternative. These toilets use either water line pressure or a device in the tank to create additional force from air pressure to flush the toilet. The device in the tank could either be a storage device with compressed air that would require replacement or a tank that creates pressure when the tank is being filled. These toilets typically average 1.1 to 1.2 gallons per flush. Some pressure assist systems move a greater volume of water at a significantly lesser volume of sound.

Power Assist Toilets
Power assist toilets operate using a pump to force water down at a higher velocity than gravity toilets. Power assist toilets require a 120-V power source to operate the small fractional horsepower pump. Typical flush volumes are between 1.0 and 1.3 gallons per flush and dual-flush models are also available.

Companies that produce these types of products, such as Niagara conservation , and the Chicago faucet company, will be exhibiting at the annual WaterEC conference.

All of these systems are strong alternatives that offer attractive cost savings and contribute to our conservation efforts. For additional information please search our archives at www.waterefficiency.net .