Water conservation includes all policies, strategies and activities to sustainably manage the natural resource of freshwater, protect the hydrosphere and meet current and future human demand. Population, household size, growth and wealth influence the amount of water used. Factors such as climate change have increased pressures on natural water resources, especially in manufacturing and agricultural irrigation. Many cities in the United States have already implemented water conservation policies with great success.
Water conservation in the home ...
1. Check faucets and pipes for leaks
A small drip from a worn faucet washer can lose 20 gallons of water per day. Larger leaks can waste hundreds of gallons.
2. Do not use the toilet as an ashtray or dump
Every time you wash a cigarette butt, a tissue or another piece of garbage, five to seven gallons of water is wasted.
3. Check your toilets for leaks
Put some dye in your toilet tank. If, without rinsing, the color begins to appear in the container within 30 minutes, you have a leak that must be repaired immediately. Most spare parts are inexpensive and easy to install.
4. Use your water meter to check for hidden water leaks
Read the house water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same, there is a leak.
5. Install water-saving showerheads and low-flow faucet aerators
Economical low-flow showerheads or restrictors are easy to install for the owner. In addition, long and hot showers can use five to ten gallons every unnecessary minute. Limit your showers while you need them to soap, wash and rinse. "Low flow" means you use less than 2.5 gallons per minute.
You can easily install a ShowerStart showerhead, or add a ShowerStart converter to existing showerheads, which automatically pauses a showerhead once it warms up.
In addition, all household taps should be in shape with aerators. This best method of home water conservation is also the cheapest!
6. Put plastic bottles or float booster in your toilet tank
To reduce water waste, put one or two inches of sand or pebbles into each of two plastic bottles to weigh them. Fill the bottles with water, screw the caps and place them in the toilet tank, away from the mechanisms of operation. Or, buy a low-cost tank bank or flotation booster. This can save ten or more gallons of water per day.
Make sure that at least 3 gallons of water remains in the tank for proper discharge. If there is not enough water to get a proper discharge, users will keep the lever down for too long or make multiple discharges to get rid of debris. Two flushings at 1.4 gallons is worse than a 2.0 gallon flush. A better suggestion would be to purchase an adjustable WC flap that allows adjustment of its use by flushing. Then, the user can adjust the download speed to the minimum level per download that gets a single and good download each time.
