Conservation Tips

Indoor Tips

Tune up your leaky toilets – the number one water waster in your home. One leaky toilet can waste up to 78,000 gallons of water in one year. That is enough to fill several swimming pools!

Run your clothes washer and dishwasher only when they are full and save up to 1,000 gallons of water each month.

Put food coloring in your toilet tank. If it seeps into the toilet bowl without flushing, you have a leak. Fixing the leak can save up to 1,000 gallons per month.

Replace your old toilets with new high-efficiency models and save up to 17,500 gallons each year.

Monitor your water bill for unusually high use. Your bill and water meter are tools that can help you discover leaks – the biggest waster of water around your home.

Upgrade your bathrooms with water-efficient showerheads. They’re inexpensive, easy to install and can save up to 750 gallons per month.

Don't leave water running when rinsing dishes and you’ll save 2.5 gallons per minute.

Turn off water when brushing teeth and save two gallons per minute.

Shorten your showers and save 2.5 gallons per minute.

Don't use the toilet as a wastebasket and you’ll save 1.6 gallons per flush.

Replace older, inefficient clothes washers* and save 20-30 gallons per load.

Outdoor Tips

Adjust your lawn mower to a higher setting. A taller lawn shades roots and holds soil moisture better than if it is closely clipped.

Take your car to a commercial car wash instead of washing it in the driveway. Commercial facilities must recycle their water, which means you’ll save more than 100 gallons per wash and help reduce urban runoff pollution.

Spreading a layer of organic mulch around plants helps retain moisture, which saves 20-30 gallons per day.

Turn the small screw atop each of your sprinklers to make sure there is no overlap and that you’re not watering patios and sidewalks. You’ll save 250 gallons per cycle.

Plants require less water in the fall, so adjust your irrigation timer to reflect the shorter days and cooler nights of the season. Reduce most plants and turf to a maximum of eight minutes of watering each day per station and you’ll save thousands of gallons each month.

Eliminate water loss by keeping your pool covered when not in use and regularly checking for leaks.

Water only before 10 a.m. and after 5 p.m. to reduce evaporation and interference from wind. You’ll save 20-25 gallons per day.

Install water-efficient drip irrigation systems for trees, shrubs and flowers to get water to the plant's roots more efficiently, and you’ll save 20-25 gallons per day.

Upgrade to a "smart" irrigation controller* that automatically adjusts watering times for hotter weather, and shuts down the system when it rains. You can save up to 40 gallons per day.

Replace a portion of your lawn with beautiful California-Friendly plants and save hundreds of gallons each month.

Replace a portion of lawn with artificial turf and save 33-60 gallons per day per 1,000 sq. ft.

*Rebates available.
Visit http://www.mwdoc.com/services/incentives for details.

For more water-saving ideas, visit www.bewaterwise.com.