Water Conservation
Here are some things you can do to reduce water consumption.
- Repair a leaking toilet. Did you Know up to 200 gallons of water per day can be wasted through a leaky toilet? That’s a tanker trailer per month! If you suspect a leaky toilet, do the leaky toilet test. Test kits can be picked up at The Town Hall, 824 Main St. or drop about 4 to 5 drops of food coloring in the toilet tank. You may want to use a dark color such as blue or red. Wait 20 to 30 minutes and then survey the toilet bowl. If the colored water appears in the bowl within 15 minutes, there is a leak in the flapper valve.
- Collect rain water for watering flower beds and gardens.
- Reduce shower time (3 out of 4 adult Canadians spend 5 minutes or more in the shower. Reducing your shower by 2 minutes will save 13 to 40 liters (depending on your shower head).
- Minimize loads of laundry. Each load will save 50 to 90 (or more) liters.
- Only run your dishwasher when it is completely full. Did you know a dishwasher before 1994 can use about 9-14 gallons of water per load? New Standard HE dishwashers use less then 4 gallons every load.
- Turn off water taps while engaged in tasks such as shaving and brushing teeth. Turning off water while doing this saves up to 8 liters per minute.
- Use minimal water in the sink for washing dishes and the bathtub for bathing.
- Defrost food overnight in the refrigerator or by using the defrost setting on your microwave instead of running water over it.
