Conservation Tips

Water Conservation

Water conservation is a key element of overall water resources planning.

Long-term water conservation planning is needed to extend Colorado’s water supply as demands on it increase from a growing population.

Here are some great tips and fun facts on how you can save water, energy, time and sometimes money!

Inside Conservation

• Choose new water-saving appliances, like washing machines that save up to 20 gallons per load. When you shop for a new appliance, consider one offering cycle and load size adjustments. They are more water and energy-efficient than older appliances.
• Before you lather up, install a low-flow showerhead. They’re inexpensive, easy to install, and can save your family more than 500 gallons a week.
• If your toilet was installed prior to 1980, place a toilet dam or bottle filled with water in your toilet tank to cut down on the amount of water used for each flush. Be sure these devices do not interfere with operating parts.
• Save water and energy by insulating hot water pipes so you don’t have to run as much water to get hot water to the faucet.
• Listen for dripping faucets and toilets that flush themselves. Fixing a leak can save 500 gallons each month.
• When washing dishes by hand, don’t let the water run while rinsing. Fill one sink with wash water and the other with rinse water.
• Run your washing machine and dishwasher only when they are full and you could save 1000 gallons a month.
• Use the garbage disposal sparingly. Compost instead and save gallons every time. Visit High Country Conservation’s Composting Page to learn more about composting.
• Turn off the water while you or your children brush your teeth and save 4 gallons a minute. That’s 200 gallons a week for a family of four.
• Teach your children to turn the faucets off tightly after each use.

Outside Conservation

• Check your sprinkler system frequently and adjust sprinklers so only your lawn is watered and not the house, sidewalk, or street. Don’t water your lawn on windy days.
• Minimize evaporation by watering during the early morning hours, when temperatures are cooler and winds are lighter. Use a layer of organic mulch around plants to reduce evaporation and save hundreds of gallons of water a year.
• Adjust your lawn mower to a higher setting. Longer grass shades root systems and holds soil moisture better than a closely clipped lawn.
• Use the sprinkler for larger areas of grass. Water small patches by hand to avoid waste.
• Choose a water-efficient drip irrigation system for trees, shrubs and flowers. Watering at the roots is very effective. Be careful not to over water.
• Water your plants deeply but less frequently to create healthier and stronger landscapes.
• Make sure you know where your master water shut-off valve is located. This could save gallons of water and damage to your home if a pipe were to burst.
• Group plants with the same watering needs together to get the most out of your watering time.
• Remember to weed your lawn and garden regularly. Weeds compete with other plants for nutrients, light, and water.
• Encourage your school system and local government to help develop and promote a water conservation ethic among children and adults.
• Next time you add or replace a flower or shrub, choose a low-water-use plant for year-round landscape color and save up to 550 gallons each year.
• Winterize outdoor spigots when temps dip to 20 degrees F to prevent pipes from bursting or freezing.
• Start a compost pile. Using compost when you plant adds water-holding organic matter to the soil.
• More plants die from over-watering than from under-watering. Be sure only to water plants when necessary.
• Bathe your pets outdoors in an area in need of water.

The above tips were provided by: www.wateruseitwisely.com

Ways to Protect Your Watershed from Stormwater Pollution

1. Be a GreenScaper – Use water, pesticides, and fertilizers sparingly in your yard and choose plants that don’t require so much of them. Learn more here about watershed-friendly landscaping that is beautiful and easy to maintain.
2. Keep your septic system working properly – Have your system inspected by a professional every three years and have it pumped every three to five years. Flush responsibly – don’t flush items that can clog the works or household chemicals that can destroy the biological balance of the system. Download the U.S. EPA’s free Homeowner’s Guide to Septic Systems here.
3. Be smart when washing your car – Soap, dirt, and oil wash down your driveway and into nearby stormdrains, which flow directly to our local waterbodies. Use soap sparingly and wash your car over the lawn, or better yet take it to a commercial car wash that reuses and treats water.
4. Keep wildlife wild and don’t feed the waterfowl – Feeding them results in large quantities of concentrated bird waste that pollutes our local bodies of water. It is also bad for the birds because it results in poor nutrition, overcrowding, delayed migration, and unnatural behavior.
5. Pick up after your pet – Pet waste is full of bacteria that can make people sick. Scoop up and dispose either in the toilet or in a sealed plastic bag in the garbage. Never dump it into a stormdrain, or it will end up in our local waterbodies without treatment.
6. Drive a fuel-efficient vehicle, keep it well maintained, and drive it less often – Vehicles generate oils, grease, heavy metals, antifreeze, and other pollutants that are transported from the roads to the storm drains when it rains. The pollutants then wash directly to our local water bodies, usually without any treatment.
7. Use water wisely – Save water in all areas of your home by stopping leaks, using water-efficient appliances, and practicing smarter lawn irrigation.
8. Think before you pour – Hazardous products poured down household drains and street basins eventually lead to bodies of water, without being properly treated. Call High Country Conservation at (970) 668-5703 to find out how to dispose of household hazardous waste and used auto fluids safely.
9. Support your local watershed association – Contact us to learn more about how YOU can be part of the solution to stormwater pollution!

Information obtained from: http://www.nsrwa.org/pdf/top10.pdf