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DeannaC - You need to have the water restrictions year round like we do down in Miami-Dade....
And predicting the next war will be over water is nothing new. I've been hearing about that for probably 20 years or so. Just looks like it is finally coming to fruition.
And don't think Florida is out of it, either. We get a lot of our water as it flows to the South from other areas in the US that are trying to divert more for their use.
I wish people would be more careful (like subdivisions who water in the heat of the day and water the street instead of the landscaping)
In many American cities green lawns are rapidly becoming a thing of the past. The average US family devotes 1/3 of their total water consumption to lawns and landscaping, and now they are being asked to cut their water consumption in half. For now. With no relief in sight. Some water utilities have even announced that the next stage in their water conservation plans will be to ban lawn watering completely.
Now is the time to invest in xeriscaping... landscaping with plants that are native to the local area and resistant to drought.
Too bad mother nature couldn't distribute the natural resources more evenly across the US.
I live 3 miles from the Spring River in the Ozarks of Arkansas.
The river is fed via an underground spring that pours water out of a small pond at Mammoth Springs State Park( 16 miles north) at the rate of 9.78 million gallons per hour
That pure spring water eventually joins bigger rivers and ends up in the ocean.
I'm curious. I use anywhere from 4,000 - 6,000 gallons in a month according to my water company. 2 adults and now 3 kids. Is that average? better than average? How do all of you do?
I'm curious. I use anywhere from 4,000 - 6,000 gallons in a month according to my water company. 2 adults and now 3 kids. Is that average? better than average? How do all of you do?
Offhand, I'd say you are doing way better than average for an American. The USGS, for one example, estimates that the average American person uses 80-100 gallons a day.
Toilet flushing is the #1 use of water inside the average home. If you have older toilets, which use 3 gallons per flush, simply changing to redesigned toilets that use only 1.6 gallons per flush will dramatically cut your water use. Bi-level toilets that allow a 1 gallon flush for "liquids" or a 1.6 gallon flush for "solids" helps even more. And adopting the old mantra from the 70s drought in California, "If it's yellow, let it mellow; but if its brown, flush it down" helps even more.
Here's a chart of the different water uses in the house
In many American cities green lawns are rapidly becoming a thing of the past. The average US family devotes 1/3 of their total water consumption to lawns and landscaping, and now they are being asked to cut their water consumption in half. For now. With no relief in sight. Some water utilities have even announced that the next stage in their water conservation plans will be to ban lawn watering completely.
Now is the time to invest in xeriscaping... landscaping with plants that are native to the local area and resistant to drought.
Now is also the time to also invest in companies that provide such services. By this time next year there will be large scale businesses that focus on just that. With the opportunities in this area, you bet large operations are going to take root and it will become big business.
Offhand, I'd say you are doing way better than average for an American. The USGS, for one example, estimates that the average American person uses 80-100 gallons a day.
Toilet flushing is the #1 use of water inside the average home. If you have older toilets, which use 3 gallons per flush, simply changing to redesigned toilets that use only 1.6 gallons per flush will dramatically cut your water use. Bi-level toilets that allow a 1 gallon flush for "liquids" or a 1.6 gallon flush for "solids" helps even more. And adopting the old mantra from the 70s drought in California, "If it's yellow, let it mellow; but if its brown, flush it down" helps even more.
Here's a chart of the different water uses in the house
If its yellow and you let it mellow too long, it still becomes a stinky fellow.
And it grows black mold. Especially since a couple of us are diabetics that pass sugar in the urine...
I do have all 1.6 gal. flush toilets and the water level set to the lowest possible level in the bowl - and a good flush kit for the toilet itself helps wash everything down. I don't think I even use the 1.6 gal. In our old toilet used to put a 2-liter bottle with rocks in it, so it didn't use the whole 3-gal.
Another problem with being too water conservative is if you have a drain field. Drain fields don't like being "dry" - they end up getting clogged which results in a large repair bill and the burning of a lot of fossil fuel to fix.
Again, I am not saying to be water wasteful - just making some other points. I load up the dishwasher and clothes washers all the way before running loads as well. I have water efficient clothes/dish washers as well.
If its yellow and you let it mellow too long, it still becomes a stinky fellow.
With five people in the house, i don't think he'll have a problem with that.
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And it grows black mold. Especially since a couple of us are diabetics that pass sugar in the urine...
Understood. I've found that occasional blasts from a spray bottle loaded with a water/Clorox mix is helpful.
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I do have all 1.6 gal. flush toilets and the water level set to the lowest possible level in the bowl - and a good flush kit for the toilet itself helps wash everything down. I don't think I even use the 1.6 gal. In our old toilet used to put a 2-liter bottle with rocks in it, so it didn't use the whole 3-gal.
True, but the low-water flush toilets are redesigned, so they clear much better than a 3 gallon toilet with bricks in the tank.
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Another problem with being too water conservative is if you have a drain field. Drain fields don't like being "dry" - they end up getting clogged which results in a large repair bill and the burning of a lot of fossil fuel to fix.
For the mold I have a bottle of chlorox clean up and a scrub (johnny) brush nearby all the toilets. We have 4 people, but we also have 4 bathrooms...
Yeah, you can't win for losing. I do agree that the newer toilets are better than the old with bricks in it. Just thorwing out ideas for those that have a good working older toilet that want to save water. 2L only displaces 1/2 gal at MOST out of the 3 gal. flush, so you are not saving as much water, but also not taking out alot to affect flushing. The newer low flow toilets work better because of changes to the inerds - and you can put those inerds in the old toilets. I know, because I have. And I could lower the water level and still get a good flush. Unfortunately, you have to tune the toilet in to see just how low you can go. (No pun intended)
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