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Water Conservation Tips
Water Conservation Tips
What you can do
All citizens can help lessen the effects of the limited water supplies by
conserving water. People can use water more efficiently in their homes,
businesses and yards.
Home Residents
Water conservation is good practice whether or not there is a drought.
Did you know that landscape watering and toilets use the largest amount
of water in your home?
During the summer, nearly 40 percent of municipal water is used for
outdoor irrigation. During peak summer days, outdoor water consumption
can reach as much as 3,000 gallons a day per home.
Conservation
Water utilities provide water to people’s homes and businesses.
The Washington State Department of Health, is the state agency
responsible for working to protect the quality and quantity of drinking
water, and coordinates information on how utilities respond to water
shortages. For useful information on how to save water and
use it more wisely, visit:
Water Wise Gardening
Some tips for planting and watering during drought conditions:
- All plants need adequate watering to establish a solid root system;
the savings in a drought-tolerant plant come once the roots are in
place.
- A little water stress is a good thing; it will actually strengthen
the plant by acclimating it to future drought.
- It’s best to water at night or very early in the morning, when
temperatures are cooler and evaporation is low.
- Too much water is as bad, or worse, than too little water. Don’t
provide more water than the soil can absorb.
- Placement can be as important as the type of plant. Does the spot
gets lots of sunlight, or little? That can dictate what type of plant
should go there.
- Drip or trickle irrigation wets the soil slowly, not only using less
water but maximizing the amount of water that goes to the plant as
opposed to running off into the ground well away from the plant’s roots.
- Spreading wood chips, or mulch, around plants will help the soil
retain its moisture and brings the added benefit of discouraging weeds.
- Avoid using grass clippings, rock mulches or peat moss as mulch
materials. Grass clippings can mat down and dry, preventing water
penetration; rock mulches absorb and radiate heat, drying out plants.
Also avoid black plastic around plants, as it blocks water penetration
and a proper exchange of air to the plant.
- Remove weeds. Weeds are deep rooted and will exhaust deep profile
water needed by other plants and grass.
Irrigation
Washington State University Cooperative Extension provides information
on its web site about
Scientific
Irrigation Scheduling (SIS), a method of providing the right amount
of water to a particular crop at the right time. Benefits include
improved crop quality and yield, conservation of water and energy, and
reduced fertilizer application and non-point pollution.
Utilities with Drought and Conservation
Information
- Washington State Department of Health
Office of Drinking Water
Drinking Water Programs and Services
- Chelan
County Public Utility District
-
City of Everett
-
LOTT Alliance
(Lacey, Olympia, Tumwater, Thurston County)
-
Clark Public Utilities
- Highline Water
District (serving parts of Burien, Des Moines, Federal Way, Kent,
Normandy Park, SeaTac, Tukwila, and unincorporated King County)
- Northeast Sammamish
Sewer and Water District
-
Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District
- Saving Water Partnership -
Participating utilities: City of Bothell, Cedar River Water & Sewer
District, Coal Creek Utility District, City of Duvall, Highline Water
District, King County Water Districts 20, 45, 49, 90, 119, and 125, City
of Mercer Island, North Shore Utility District, Olympic View Water &
Sewer District, Seattle Public Utilities, Shoreline Water District, Soos
Creek Water & Sewer District, Woodinville Water District
-
Tacoma Public Utilities
-
Actions and
Progress on Water Use-Efficiency - 2003 report to the legislature
Industry
Ecology's Toxic Reduction
Engineer Efficiency (TREE) team provides free technical
assistance to industry. The goal is not only to reduce the
generation of toxic wastes, but also the use of water.
You can
also read the
TREE Report.
Contact Ecology's Lynn Coleman
at (360) 407-6738 for information on industrial water conservation and
reuse.
Historic Washington State Drought Information
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
