Much of Arizona is in the Sonoran Desert. Add that to the years-long drought across the state, and Arizona has a water shortage.
Do your part to conserve water by making some changes both indoors and outdoors.
Indoors:
- Fill the sink with water when washing the dishes. Don’t let the water run continuously.
- Have your evaporative cooler inspected and maintained every year.
- Don’t run the washer, dryer or dishwasher until it’s full.
- Use your garbage disposal sparingly. It’s a water-waster.
- Compare your water bill to prior months to learn if you’re using more water than usual.
- Replace your old shower heads and toilets with new, water-efficient models.
- When you replace your appliances, choose models with load-size and cycle adjustments.
- Take shorter showers. You’ll save 1,000 gallons of water a month if you limit shower time to five minutes.
Outdoors:
- Adjust your sprinklers so they water only your lawn and not the house, sidewalk or street.
- Cover your pool and hot tub.
- Water lawns and plants in the morning when temperatures are cooler and less water will evaporate.
- Mulch around plants to reduce evaporation.
- Sweep, don’t hose, your driveway and sidewalk. You can save up to 80 gallons of water every time.
- Water your lawn only when needed instead of on an automatic schedule. Also, install a rain shut-off device on your automatic sprinklers to eliminate unnecessary watering.
- Let your grass grow a tiny bit longer. Longer grass shades roots so they hold moisture better than short grass.
- Gradually replace the plants in your yard with varieties that require less water.
- Learn exactly how much water each kind of plant on your lawn needs to stay healthy.
- Then water the plants that much and not a drop more.
For 100 ways to conserve water, visit WaterUseItWisely.com.
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