More tips from
denverwater.org
Stop running toilets
Replacing the rubber flapper in a running toilet can save up to 100 gallons a day. Can't fix it? Replace it with a high-efficiency model and save water each time you flush.
Shorten your shower
Take a quick shower (no longer than 5 minutes) or a 3-inch-deep bath. Save even more water in your shower by installing a low-flow showerhead. Look for the WaterSense label – a certification from the Environmental Protection Agency that assures customers the fixture is water-efficient and high-performing.
Use fertilizer instead of salt to deice
Help your plants and grass live through the winter. To melt ice on walks and pavement, apply a low-nitrogen fertilizer instead of salt.
Plan for a landscape that saves water
Winter is the perfect time to make plans to add or modify your landscape for water conservation. Consider low-water gardens that attract wildlife, such as butterflies or birds. Or work around themes such as fragrance, edible, ornamental or native plants.
Buy a high-efficiency washing machine
Replace your inefficient washing machine with a high-efficiency front-loading model, which can save 30 gallons of water per load. You'll get a double-bonus – their high-speed spin cycle forces more water out of clothes, so they need less time in the dryer and are gentler on your clothes. Check with your local water provider for rebate opportunities.
Look for leaks
Check indoor fixtures for leaks and fix them right away. A fixture that leaks one drop per second will waste almost 5 gallons of water a day, or 1,800 gallons a year.
Wash only full loads of laundry
Make it a goal to wash two fewer loads per week.
Skip the rinse
Instead of pre-rinsing your dishes before loading them into the dishwasher, let them soak in the sink.
Replace your water-guzzling toilet
Toilets are the largest users of indoor water. Consider replacing an existing toilet with a high-efficiency model, which can save three gallons or more of water per flush. When shopping for a new toilet, look for the WaterSense label – a certification from the Environmental Protection Agency that assures customers the fixture is water-efficient and high-performing. Check with your local water provider for rebates.
Use your dishwasher
Wash your dishes in a dishwasher instead of by hand. Dishwashers can save about 5 gallons of water with each full load.
Turn off the water while shaving
Or better yet, collect water in the sink first to avoid running it.
Use a commercial car wash
Washing your car at a commercial car wash uses one-third less water than washing your car on your driveway. Plus, many commercial car washes recycle water.
Test your sprinkler system
Run each zone through a test cycle. Check for leaks or damaged and misaligned sprinkler heads. If you see runoff, reposition or replace the sprinkler heads to water only the grass.
Use a controller to save irrigation water
Add a weather-based or
evapotranspiration (ET) controller to your irrigation system to save even more water. An ET controller takes into account temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation, wind and natural rainfall, to guide the amount of water applied by your irrigation system. Check with your local water provider for rebate opportunities.
Install a hose timer
Install a hose timer between the spigot and the hose, which allows watering times to be automated. Some of these inexpensive devices provide for cyclical watering – five minutes on, five minutes off – allowing water to penetrate the soil rather than run off.
Cut down on garbage disposal use
Save water by running your garbage disposal sparingly.
Buy low-water-use plants
If you are adding or replacing flowers, shrubs, trees or turf, choose low-water loving species. ?X-rated? low-water loving plants and trees are abundant in variety and availability at your local garden center.
Don't set it and forget it
It's so simple to save outdoor water – 30 percent or more – simply by adjusting your irrigation clock on a monthly basis to the correct watering times. You should use less water in May than you do in July.
Install a rainfall sensor
If you have an automatic sprinkler system, consider installing a rainfall sensor. Rainfall sensors prevent your system from watering in the rain, without impacting the watering schedule. Check with your water provider for rebate opportunities.
Wait to irrigate
To encourage long and strong root systems in your turf, postpone irrigation until the later part of the month. This will help you reduce your water bill, too!
Don't water your sidewalk.
It won't grow no matter how much water it gets.
Eliminate water runoff
For clay soils and slopes, eliminate runoff by applying water for a short time, such as five minutes, allowing water to soak in. Repeat this cycle until soil is saturated, never longer than 30 minutes.
Check for over-watering
Check your lawn's moisture before you water by walking across the grass. If you see footprints, it needs water. If the grass springs back, it's doing fine.
Raise your mower blade
Keep your lawn mower blade height on the highest setting. Longer blades of grass will keep the soil cooler, so less moisture will be lost to evaporation from the soil surface.
Check your sprinkler heads after mowing your lawn
Broken sprinkler heads can waste water and improperly water your lawn.
Spread the mulch around
Apply mulch around plants to reduce evaporation, save water – and discourage weeds.
Don't water between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Water your lawn during the cool nights or early morning to cut down on the amount of water lost to evaporation.
Don't water in heavy wind
It will speed water evaporation, and you'll end up watering your sidewalk or street.
Take your car to a car wash, not your driveway
Use a commercial car wash, which uses one-third less water than washing your car on your driveway. Plus, many commercial car washes recycle the water.
Use a broom
Sweep your sidewalk and driveway instead of hosing it off.
Wash veggies, water your plants
Instead of letting water run, wash vegetables and fruits in a bowl or basin and dump the excess water on potted patio plants.
Cool your water in the refrigerator
Chill drinking water in the refrigerator instead of letting the cold tap water run. No matter how long you let the tap run, it never gets cold enough.
Repair damaged sprinkler systems and water lines
Check your sprinkler system for leaks and broken sprinkler heads and have them repaired immediately. Outdoor leaks can increase your water bill without benefitting your lawn and garden.
Learn to Xeriscape
A great way to reduce your water bill is to upgrade turf areas to Xeriscape. Now is a great time to begin planning to convert a zone or all of your turf area to low-water plants.
Plant a tree
Trees are excellent for reducing water use – they provide shade, clean the air of carbon dioxide, and use less water than the lawn. Low-water trees include: English Oak, Bur Oak, White Oak, Black Walnut, Tartian Maple, Wasatch Maple, Golden Raintree, Spring Snow Crabapple.
Aerate and fertilize
Aerate and fertilize your lawn with a winterization fertilizer or a fertilizer containing more phosphorus, which keeps the root system healthy. Phosphorus (a common winter fertilizer ingredient) plays a key role in storing and transferring energy within a lawn's root system and helps grass become more tolerant of diseases, heat, cold and drought.
Don't set it and forget it
It's so simple to save outdoor water – 30 percent or more – simply by adjusting your irrigation clock on a monthly basis to the correct watering times. You should use less water during cooler months than you do during the hottest months.
Plant native grass
Kentucky Blue Grass requires between 1 and 2 inches of water a week to flourish. A 50x50-foot yard watered at that rate will consume about 2,500 gallons a week. If you seed your lawn with native grasses, it can cut this consumption in half.
Insulate your water heater
Insulate your water heater and water pipes so you waste less water while waiting for hot water to flow.
Turn off the water
When shaving, brushing your teeth and lathering in the shower, remember to turn off the water.
Catch every drop
Catch water in a bucket or watering can while waiting for hot or cold water to come out of the faucet. Then use it to water household plants or to flush a toilet.
Winterize your irrigation system
Turn off the water, drain the valves and blow out the lines with compressed air. Also disconnect, drain and roll up garden hoses. Keep a hose handy, though, because you may need to water your lawn and trees once a month during a dry winter.
Protect tree trunks
Wrap trunks of newly planted trees with tree wrap from the base to the first branch. This protects the bark from frost and freezing.
Spread mulch for insulation
Mulch perennial beds with organic materials (leaves, woodchips , grass clippings) to retain soil moisture and insulate vulnerable roots.
Plant flower bulbs
Bulbs of snow crocus, snow iris, various tulips, and many others require only a sunny spot and moisture in spring and dry soil during dormancy. They are easy to plant, and require little water or maintenance.
Install water-saving fixtures
Save water by installing low-flow faucets in bathroom and kitchen sinks, water-saving shower heads, toilets and clothes washers. Check with your local water provider for rebate options. When you shop, look for the WaterSense label – a certification from the Environmental Protection Agency that assures customers the fixture is water-efficient and high-performing.
Stop leaky toilets
Did you know a leaky toilet can waste more than 100,000 gallons of water a year? Check your toilet for leaks by putting a few drops of food coloring in the tank and waiting 15 to 20 minutes. If the color shows up in the toilet bowl, you have a leak. Fix or replace it right away.
Don't use water to defrost
Defrost frozen food in the refrigerator or microwave instead of in a pan of water. It saves water and cuts down on harmful bacteria.
Wash veggies, water your plants
Instead of letting water run, wash vegetables and fruits in a bowl or basin and then use the water on houseplants.
Keep your lawn and trees alive
If it has been dry for four weeks or more and the ground is not frozen, apply water to lawn and trees on a day when temperatures are above 40 degrees.
Look for leaks
Check indoor fixtures for leaks and fix them right away. A fixture that leaks one drop per second will waste almost 5 gallons of water a day, or 1,800 gallons a year.
Flush only when necessary
Toss your trash in the trash – never use a toilet as a wastebasket.
