Water Conservation
Did you know: Leaky plumbing is the biggest household water waster!
- A leak in a 1/32" diameter pipe can waste as much as 250 gallons of water per day!
- A leak in a 1/16" diameter pipe can waste as much as 960 gallons of water per day!
- A leak in a 1/8" diameter pipe can waste as much as 3,600 gallons of water per day!
Things to Look For...
| Indoor Faucets | Check all faucets upstairs and downstairs; replace worn washers or defective fixtures |
| Outdoor Faucets | Check outside faucets to make sure they are turned off when not in use. Don't depend on the hose nozzle; use the faucet to turn off the water. |
| Water Using Appliances | Check faucets that connect with water using appliances. Appliances such as washing machines should be turned off after each use. |
Learn more about various way to conserve water by following these links:
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Del Oro's Monthly Conservation Tips features tips for saving water both indoors & out. Visit the guide monthly for tips specific to the season.
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Save Our Water Water Conservation Strategies
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The Water Page; Links to additional water conservation tips, techniques, and resources.
PDF downloads
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Del Oro's Water Conservation Strategies is a reminder of some of the easy things you can do to conserve water.
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"Living With Drought"; an article in the June 2014 issue of "Sunset" magazine (4 pages).
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"Get Smarter About Water"; an article in the Sept/Oct 2009 issue of "Gardening How-to" magazine published by the National Home Gardening Club (4 pages).
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Residential Landscape Water Conservation Strategies describes some strategies you can follow to conserve water in your home landscaping and irrigation.
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Take advantage of hundreds of gallons of water spilling off your roof; learn How to Construct Your Own Rain Barrel System to capture and store water for your yard and landscaping needs for months to come (3 pages).
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Did you know that toilets account for over one third of the water used in most homes? Conserve water and lower your water bills by replacing older toilets with Ultra Low-Flow Toilets that use far less water. This fact sheet provides a wealth of information worth reading before you make a purchase (4 pages).
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Are you tired of watching your laundry and bath water go down the drain? Did you know that more than half of your indoor water can be used as graywater? This handy Graywater Guide Book is meant to help homeowners and landscape/plumbing contractors understand the graywater standards and to help them design, install, and maintain their graywater system (45 pages).
Note: California changed many regulations regarding graywater in 2010. The Greywater Guide website is a resource for finding and understanding the most current regulations, as the State has not updated the Greywater Guidebook since 1995. -
When it comes time to landscape your yard, keep in mind that Native Plants are much more tolerant of drought and drought-like conditions than "introduced" varieties (5 pages).
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Dealing with Drought; California frequently experiences multi-year droughts. This informative article by the Water Education Foundation explains the nature of California's droughts (13 pages).
*DOWC does not endorse the organizations sponsoring linked websites, and we do not endorse the views they express or the products/services they offer.