Water Conservation

Alabaster Water Board recommends the following steps to help conserve water:

  • Don’t over water your lawn. Only water every three to five days in the summer and 10 to 14 days in the winter.
  • To prevent water loss from evaporation, don’t water your lawn during the hottest part of the day or when it is windy.
  • Only run the dishwasher and clothes washer when they are fully loaded.
  • Defrost frozen food in the refrigerator or in the microwave instead of running water over it.
  • When washing dishes by hand, use two basins – one for washing and one for rinsing rather than let the water run.
  • Use a broom, rather than a hose, to clean sidewalks and driveways.
  • If you have a swimming pool, get a cover. You’ll cut the loss of water by evaporation by 90 percent.
  • Repair dripping faucets and leaky toilets.
    • Dripping faucets can waste about 2,000 gallons of water each year.
    • Leaky toilets can waste as much as 200 gallons each day.

Water Use Statistics, Consumption and Conservation

  • Approximately 346,800 million gallons per day (mgd) of freshwater and 61,200 mgd of saltwater were withdrawn during 2000 for use by the nation’s homes, farms, and industries.
  • In 2000, the highest consuming states withdrew: California 51,200 mgd; Texas 29,600; and Florida 20,100.
  • In comparison, the lowest consuming states withdrew Alaska 305 mgd; Rhode Island 429; and Vermont 447. (USGS)
  • Americans drink more than 1 billion glasses of tap water per day.
  • On average, 50 to 70 percent of home water is used outdoors for watering lawns and gardens.
  • Daily indoor per capita water use in the typical single family home is 69.3 gallons. Here is how it breaks down:

USE

Gallons per Capita

Percentage of Total Daily Use

Showers 11.6 16.8%
Clothes Washers 15.0 21.7%
Dishwashers 1.0 1.4%
Toilets 18.5 26.7%
Baths 1.2 1.7%
Leaks 9.5 13.7%
Faucets 10.9 15.7%
Other Domestic Uses 1.6 2.2%

More Tips for Water Conservation

By installing more efficient water fixtures and regularly checking for leaks, households can reduce daily per capita water use by about 35% to about 45.2 gallons per day Here’s how it breaks down for households using conservation measures:

USE

Gallons per Capita

Percentage of Total Daily Use

Showers 8.8 19.5%
Clothes Washers 10. 22.1%
Dishwashers 0.7 1.5%
Toilets 8.2 18.0%
Baths 1.2 2.7%
Leaks 4.0 8.8%
Faucets 10.8 23.9%
Other Domestic Uses 1.6 3.4%
  • If all U.S. households installed water-saving features, water use would decrease by 30 percent, saving an estimated 5.4 billion gallons per day. This would result in dollar-volume savings of $11.3 million per day or more than $4 billion per year.
  • Water-conserving fixtures installed in U.S. households in 1998 alone save 44 million gallons of water every day, resulting in total dollar-value savings of more than $33.6 million per year.
  • Average household water use annually: 127,400 gallons
  • Average daily household water use : 350 gallons

Please do your part to help conserve our most precious natural resource.

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