Austin area residents have faced Conservation Stage water restrictions for a long time. This is not necessarily a bad thing as it teaches a sort of water discipline that is beneficial in good water times as well as bad. Remaining in compliance not only avoids fines, but makes one a good steward for one of our most precious natural resources.
How can you do your part to ensure that your family’s water usage contiunes to meet or even improves upon these standards?
There are a few simple things that you can do personally to ensure that your children, and all the generations to come, will have enough clean water.
Water Calculator
Use the City of Austin’s water calculator to add up the consumption of your household or workplace. The water calculator factors in usage from showers, baths, toilets, doing dishes and laundry, lawn watering, swimming pools, and hoses. After figuring your usage, decide how you can cut back on water use.
Conserving More
If everyone in the Austin area pledged to reduce water usage by 10%, that would save around 13 million gallons every day!
Places where you might be able to save water include:
- Take shorter showers
- Check all faucets, toilets, plumbing, and irrigation systems for leaks
- Replace leaky appliances or fixtures
- Replace faucet aerators and showerheads with newer, water-saving models
- Replace clothes washer with an Energy Star rated model
- Water yards only on assigned days
- Don’t let savings run down the drain! Turn it off while you brush your teeth, shampoo your hair, or hand wash dishes
Other Measures You Can Take as a Water Steward
If you would like to put even more effort into preserving water, you can go the extra mile.
- Choose drought-tolerant plants for landscaping.
- Catch rainwater in a barrel to water your plants, clean your in- and outdoor areas, or other uses.
- Maybe even consider installing a filtered rainwater system in your home! Filtered rainwater works for cleaning and showers, and can be recycled for use in the yard and garden.
Acting as a water steward will not only save you money by keeping your water bill low and preventing you from being subject to fines, it will also save one of our most precious resources for the humans and animals that depend on it.
South Austin Irrigation, LLC specializes in irrigation and sprinkler repair, including system restorations, alterations to existing systems, field wiring problems, valve replacements and backflow replacement and installation. For any questions about problems or leaks, please contact us today.
