Trying to figure out how to conserve water doesn’t have to be hard. There are many small habits you can change to save a lot of water week after week.
World Water Day is March 22nd and it’s a great time to talk about new better habits we can develop to reduce our water usage.
The average American uses about 82 gallons of water a day at home and a few small changes can greatly reduce this number and help us all conserve water.
Oklahomans know all too well why we need to conserve. Oklahoma has been in a three-year drought and many have concerns we could be headed to another Dust Bowl.
There are many concerns about water security in Oklahoma and if all of us do our part to conserve we can help reduce some of those risks and help protect Oklahoma’s water future.
How to Conserve Water
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- Turn off the water when getting ready. Instead of running the water while shaving, fill the sink a little bit, and turn off the water while brushing your teeth.
- Take showers that are shorter than 5 minutes. You can even add a timer to the shower to help you make sure you are not wasting time.
- Run your dishwasher and washing machine only when they are full.
- Fix leaky plumbing fixtures.
- Check for leaks in your toilet. Place a few drops of food coloring in the tank and if you see any in the bowl without flushing then you have a leak.
- Use low-flow aerators on faucets.
- Use low-flow shower heads.
- When replacing a toilet use a low-flow toilet.
- If you hand-wash your dishes don’t just leave the water running, fill the sink to wash them.
- If buying a new washing machine look for a water-saving high-efficiency (HE) washer.
- When planting this spring look for native plants that are used to our climate and require less water.
- If you have water left in a glass or from boiling something like pasta or vegetables, use the cool water to water plants.
- If possible skip watering your lawn. If not possible then water during cooler parts of the day to avoid evaporating
- Consider getting a rain barrel or two. This way you can save rainwater during our wet months to use on plants during the drier months.
- Raising animals for meat wastes a lot of water so try reducing your meat intake. One easy way is Meatless Monday.
Don’t overwhelm yourself with trying to do all of this at once. Pick a couple of habits to work on first and slowly work your way through the list. The biggest thing is to be mindful of the water you are using and remember it is a finite resource that we must protect.
Get a Free Printable Water Conservation Checklist
Want to start working through this list? You can print off this checklist and even add a few of your own tasks. It’s a great way to stay motivated to reduce your water usage.
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