As the drought gets worse, we want to do our part by seeking out the best water-saving ideas. And we will award a rain barrel for the best one. There are several ways you can participate. You can post your idea here, or you can email the contest judge, Richard Stradling, one of our editors, at richard.stradling@newsobserver.com. Or you can snail mail it to him at 215 S. McDowell St., Raleigh, NC, 27601.
A great deal of water is wasted when the shower is turned on until the water gets warm so I place a bucket in it to catch the water until it warms up. I usually collect about a gallon of water each time that can be used to water my plants, etc.
Don't leave the water running the whole time you are brushing your teeth.
Try to wash full loads when using the dishwasher and washing machine.
i live in a house without a disposal, so i have always used a bowl to catch the water when i rinse dishes, etc. so as not to let things go down the drain. i use this water to water my outside plants right off my porch. instead of buying an expensive rain barrel, i got a very large trash can to hold water as it runs off the roof, and keep a lid on it to keep out bugs. i also put out lots of buckets and pails when it rains to catch the rain water from the roof. then i used large water bottle to hold them to use when needed. i turn off the shower when i am shaving my legs to save water. when i clean out my pet's water bowl each day, i use the water for my house plants. i also was left with many bottles of club soda for cocktails from the previous owner, so i have used them to water my outside plants.
Time when you do your laundry to be in concert with plant life watering needs and Save the rinse water to water your plantlife.
A worn-out toilet flapper that doesn't create a good seal is often the cause of much wasted water. I replaced all my toilets' flappers to ensure no leakage. Even better, I discovered a flapper with an adjustable dial that actually lets you control the amount of water used in each flush. The dial goes from 1 to 9. 1 being the weakest flush, 9 being strongest. I'm thinking about putting a sign on my toilet tank: "Set it to 1 for #1, 9 if you've been sitting for some time" ;-)
The less water that goes down our drains there is, the less treated water there will be available for discharge to serve those downstream. This could be potential cause for the Army Corps of Engineers to release more water from the reservoirs to make up for this shortage. However, lawn watering never has runoff which leads into the river basins (unless someone really overdoes it), so this right here is probably our best option to focus upon. I'm thinking a change in culture - do we really need all that lawn grass? Is there something else which requires far less maintanence but could also serve a practical function and be environmentally friendly too?
It becomes even more complicated when cities, such as Durham for instance, receive water intake from one river basin but release their treated water into another mostly due to the local topography having caused this particular arrangement to be the most cost effective in terms of construction over the years. Under normal circumstances most folks probably would not give this a second thought, however as water supplies become tighter there could be potential cause for regional friction in cases similar to this.
Great idea to consider other options. Lawn grass is the highest maintenance plant material for the homeowner. Dwarf mondo (lilyturf), groundcover like ajuga, or mulch (pine bark, permatil, pea gravel, etc.) are great low maintenance alternatives.
The toilet is one of the largest uses of water in a household. I remember an old water conservation rhyme from when I was young. I'm sure we've all heard it, but it rarely seems to be practiced anymore - maybe it's time has come back around...
"When it's yellow, let it mellow. When it's brown, flush it down"
I especially like a tasteful reminder the late Johnny Carson offered California tourists ages ago during his "Tonight Show" monologue:
Enjoy yourself, have fun in the sun,
but please don't flush after number one.
Hot Summer Watering
Like a lot of homes, I have 2 AC units....split systems...where the coil is generally underneath the house or in the attic. Because of the cold coils and the extreme heat, the unit captures condensed water that aooears on the outside of the unit. Generally the moisture is collected in a tray beneath the unit whereas a small pump sucks the moisture to the ouside of the house through a small rubber or pvc tube.
You can extend this tube towards your flower bed or small area that desires moisture...or collect it to be used later. Not alot of water is extracted but every little bit helps.