Indoors
Check for leaks. Dripping faucets can waste as much as 2,700 gallons of water per year. Leaky toilets can waste as much as 200 gallons each day.
You can check your toilets for leaks by placing a drop of food coloring into your toilet's tank. Don't flush.
Check the water bowl in 15 minutes. If the color flows into your toilet bowl. there is probably a leak. Check the Stopper
Run dishwashers and clothes washers only when ful1.Use the load-size selector.
Replace your shower head with a water efficient mode1.
Turn the water off while brushing your teeth ,rinse with a glass of water.
Fill a basin when you shave as opposed to running the water.
If the toilet is old model,Install a water displacement device in your toilet's tank. (A plastic bag/bottle filled w/water to reduce the amount of water and still provide enough to flush.
If you wash dishes by hand, turn the water off and on when rinsing rather than letting it run.
Soak pans rather than scrubbing them while the water is running.Rinse your vegetables in a pan of cold water.
Outdoors
Don't over water your lawn. One inch of water/week in the summer will keep most grasses healthy.
Water lawns early in the morning or in the evening during the hotter summer months. Never water on windy days.
Choose plants that are drought tolerant, heat tolerant, and are tolerant of the winter temperatures.
Use a broom, and not a hose, to clean sidewalks and driveways.
For plants that need more water, use a watering can or the hose on low pressure.
Use lots of mulch around your shrubs and trees to retain moisture, reduce run-off, moderate soil temperatures, and help with weed contro1.
Do not over fertilize! Get a soil kit to determine what nutrients your soil needs. If you apply fertilizer only in the spring and fall, your grass will be healthy, use less water and need mowing less frequently.
If you have a swimming pool. get a cover. You'll cut the loss of water by evaporation by 90 percent.
Highlights added by page author.
Above "On being Water Wise" copied from Illinois American Water pamphlet..No restrictions on copying noted.
A Message For People With Severely
Weakened Immune Systems
Cryptosporidium is a protozoan found in untreated surface waters throughout the United States...(the organism is generally not present in a ground water source).
Although filtration removes Cryptosporidium, the most commonly used filtration methods cannot guarantee 100% removal
Ingestion of Cryptosporidium may cause cryptosporidiosis, an abdominal infection.
Symptoms of infection include nausea, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps.
Most hea1thy individuals can overcome the disease within a few weeks.
However, people with severely weakened immune systems have a risk of developing life threatening illness.
We encourage these people to consult their doctors regarding appropriate precautions to take to avoid infection.
Cryptosporidium must be ingested to cause disease,and it is spread through means other than drinking water.
For additional information regarding cryptosporidiosis and how it may impact those with weakened immune systems, contact Customer Service Center at 800-422-2782 or speak with your personal health care provider
Highlights and re-layout of article by page author
Things/Actions/You Can Do To Conserve/Save Water and Save Thousands Of Gallons A Year...And Save Hundreds Of Dollars!!
Depending on the (ID) Inner Diamater of the faucet head and piping, an open faucet will deliver about five(5) to Seven (7 )gallons of water per minute.
Don't let the water run while brushing your teeth. Wet the Tooth Brush scrubbing area, apply the Tooth Paste and brush. There's really no need to let the water run.
Automatic Dish Washers are a convienent way to wash dishes and cutlery. With the cost of water being charged by the Water Companies, using the dishwasher daily or by weekly can be expensive.
(*)Washing dishes, pots, etc by hand can also be expensive if you let the water run while washing and do not utilize a pan for pre-soaking and final wash.
As empty nesters we use the dishwasher sparingly. Daily dishes/cutlery/glasses are put into a pan to soak.They are then rinsed, dried and put away...The dishwasher is used when we have guests
We started doing this after friends told us how they had saved hundreds of dollars and thousands of gallons of water yearly, by cutting down on the use of their dishwasher.
Take Showers, instead of bathing in a tub. Wetting your self and then Applying Soap. Instead of stepping back from the shower spray to apply the soap, turn down the water flow. Additional savings can be realized by installing a Low-Flow Shower Head.
Reduce Water Flow, by adjusting the " Open/Close " values under the sink..Particulary if there are youngsters at home.
When " Shaving " fill the basin with water so you can rinse the blade by stirring/swishing in the standing water,rather than leaving the water flowing so the blade can be rinsed.
Check for faucet leaks,they can account for a large percent of home water waste. A single dripping faucet can waste several thousand gallons a year...A drip at a time.
Check the toilet for leaks. Depending on the years that the Ball Cock Rubber Stopper has been in use, it can become spungy and cause water to flow into the toilet bowl. To check for Toilet leaks, put a few drops of food coloring into the water tank and see if the color seeps into the toilet bowl. If leaks are seen, replacing the Rubber Stopper should stop the problem....More on the use of food coloring to find leaks in the "Other sites to visit section", below
If you can't afford a replacement, to cut down on the amount of water used for each toilet flush, submerge a brick or a water filled Jar or Quart Milk Bottle in the tank. (Flush only when necessary.)A friend tells page author that he flushes after he has voided ( Urinated ) three times, commenting that , to him, it doesn't make sense to use gallans of water to flush ounces of Urine..
If you have an active bladder problem, it's possible that you will head for the bathroom many times during the day...as many as eight to ten trips. Flushing after three (3)Urinations can result in a water saving of many gallons of water per day...But, the strength of the urine could result in strong odor between flushes.
If you're considering the purchase of new Washer, Dish Washer, New Toilet, look for the Energy Star label which states the water usage. A low-flow toilet uses 3 gallons less per flush. Some municipalities offer rebates for purchasing water efficient appliances.
If you live in a " Ranch House " the distance from the Hot Water Heater and the Sink, Laundry Room , Master Bathroom and main Bathroom may be considerable. Most often it is required to let the water run for several minutes before warn or hot water starts to flow from the faucet.
If you are condidering building a Ranch Home, make the effort to have the Hot Water Heater " Centrally Located ". The builders ability to do this will depend on the location of the chimney or Fire Place as the exhaust of the Hot Water gas fumes are "generally" discharged through the same chimney as the furnice.
As noted above, water can flow at five (5) to seven (7) gallons per minute. Waiting for the water, from the water heater, to be warm or hot " Wastes " Thousands, Thousands of water yearly.
Our home is a Ranch type, We use the cold water from the Hot Water faucet to soak the dishes. We also use this water when a need for a glass of water arises and for any cooking that requires water. By doing this we , most often, have drained the cold water that was in the water pipe from the water heater, so that warm water starts to flow seconds after the Hot Water faucet is opened.
By definition, If no need for cold water arises, we are forced to let the hot water faucet run until warm or hot/warm water is flowing.
Save Rain Water...Route your gutter downspout into a plastic trash can . Use the water collected for your garden And ..if you want your clothes to be soft after washing, use the rain water...This also applies to your hair.
If you have a swiming pool, Cover It. An average sized pool can lose 1000 gallons of water a month from evaporation.Covering the pool when not in use reduces the loss as much as ninety (90)percent
Take a look at your Front, Back and Side lawn...It has been documented that it takes 20,000 plus gallons of water to get One Acre of Grass Green. If you must have green on your lawn, consider purchasing a drought tolerant ground cover.
If your set on watering your lawn, consider purchasing a " Water Flow Timer ".Having the Timer attached to the Water Spicket will insure that you don't overwater by forgetting to shut the water off.
Remember, there's no way for humans to control where it might rain. Currently several states have enacted laws that result in jail time if the residents are caught watering lawns or other out door functions that use water.
Important Health Information
Drinking water, inc1uding bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of these contaminants does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk.
More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be
obtained by calling the U.S. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline 800-426-4791.
Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population.
Immunocompromised persons such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV /AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants may be particularly at risk from infections.
These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.
USEPA/CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline 800-462-4791
* Copied from Illinois American Water Company flyer ( No restrictions on copying noted)
Highlights and some sentence structure by page author
Reasons to drink the bottled water rarely hold water
By:GREGORY KARP...Chicago Tribune...9/17/2006
Americans have a love affair with bottled water. According to the Beverage Marketing Corp., they spent $10 billion last year to prove it.
But many of the reasons for buying bottled water just don't hold water.
From a spending smart standpoint, drinking tap water is a better idea, even if you filter it.
That's because bottled water is by far the most expensive way to get your H2O.
Here are common reasons for drinking bottled water and some less costly alternatives:
Taste.
If you believe the taste of bottled water is better, conduct a blind taste test in your home, sampling bottled and tap water at the same temperature. Tbis will determine if your taste buds know the difference.
Several well publicized taste tests have shown many water drinkers can't distinguish which is bottled. In fact, some bottled water tastes worse than
tap water because it can pick up a plastic taste from the bottle or jug.
And a quarter or more of all bottled water brands start out as municipal tap water, including such top brands as Dasani , and Aquafma, and many of them are then filtered.
.
But, if you find you dislike tap water it's true that some tap water has a distinct chlorine after taste try storing tap water uncovered in the refrigerator overnight to let the chlorine dissipate. Or you could use a simple carafe filter.
Consumer Reports this year rated all the carafe fIlters it tested as very good at removing lead and chloroform. It found the Pur Advantage CR1500R, $18, good, and the Brita Classic OBOl, $20, very good at removing bad tastes.
The cost per gallon of carafe fIlters is about 31 cents, the nonprofit magazine reported. That's far more than the half cent per gallon that tap water typicillly costs, but many times less than bottled water.
Which ever. if you buy it in gallon jugs will cost about 89 cents,according to the magazine's findings.
Other" options are faucet mounted fIlters, 34 cents per gallon; undersink fIlters, 42 cents; reverse osmosis filters,48 cents; and whole house:filters, 26 cents.
The only choice more expensive than bottled water is delivered bottled water that uses a watercooler dispenser, at $2.25 per gallon.
Of course, many refrigerators have built in water dispensers to provide convenient access to fIltered water.
Safety.
News coverage of the threats of bioterrorism, water borne disease outbreaks and other water quality problems might have you spooked. But Americans have one of the Safest water supplies in the world.
And consumers have no assurance that bottled water is any safer or cleaner than tap water, said the Natural Resources Defense Council in a 1999 petition to the Food and Drug Administration after the NRDC conducted a four-year study.
The FDA requires bottled water companies to test their water once a month, while the Environmental Protection Agency equires municipal water to be tested several times a day, said Bryan Hirsch, a spokesman for Corporate Accountability International.
The group, formerly known as Infact, campaigns for change in a number of areas and has criticized bottled watet companies, claiming they use advertising to undermine the public's trust in U.S. tap water so they can sell more water in stores.
But while the bottled water industry emphasizes the "consistency" and "safety" of bottled water, it is careful not to say it is safer than tap water.
If you're concerned about the safety of your tap water, contact your water company or authority. Federal law requires them to provide consumers with a water quality report each year by July I.
Yours might be online at epa.gov/safewater or call the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.
And if you have a temporary concern with the safety of tap water, you could boil it to remove many potentially harmful components.
Health.
Water is, indeed, a healthful substitute for such beverages as sugar laden soft drinks, juices and sport drinks. It, has no caffeine or calories. But that's true of any water, bottled, filltered or tap.
So health is not a reason to choose plain bottled water over other water.
But in certain on-the-run scenarios, bottled water could make good health sense.
For example: If you're thirsty in a convenience store and determined to buy a drink, bottled water could be a better choice than soda,
You'll be vastly overspending no matter what you buy in a single serving; so
you might as well get something that does less damage to your health. .
Convenience.
It's true that grabbing a sealed bottle from the refrigerator is slightly more convenient than filling a water bottle from a tap, a task that mighttake several seconds.
But how convenient is it to haul that water home from the supermarket in the first place?
Instead of bottled water, you could buy the most expensive, feature laden refillable water bottle you can find. Fill it with tap water or filtered water, and you'll quickly recoup the cost of the water bottle and continue to reap savings.
Status.
This may be the true reason some people buy bottled water. Some joke that premier brand Evian is "naive" spelled backward. If you derive self esteem from carrying name brand water,then you need to judge for yourself how much that's Worth.
An alternative is to buy a case of name brand water on sale or at a warehouse club and refill bottles with tap water. The people you're trying to impress won't know the difference, and you'll save a bundle.
Page Authors Comment:
Gregory Karp is a personql finance writer for The Morning Call, a Tribune Co. newspaper in Allentown, Pa. E-mail him at yourmoney@tribune.com.)
For additional discussion on spending,wisely, Spending Smart blog atblogs.mcall.com/spending-smart>
.
Highlights added by page author
Shortcuts to Lawn Care and using less water
Spending too much time and money on your lawn? No need, says Kevin Morris of the National Turf Grass Evaluation Program, a research center in Maryland.
How to trim costs by up to 30 percent: Separate the truth from the crabgrass.
MYTH: Water your lawn every day.
REALITY: One big soaking, or two smaller ones, per week is fine as long as it adds up to an inch of water weekly (rain counts).
With quick sprayings, even frequent ones, water won't soak through to the roots.
To determine how long you should leave on the sprinklers, put out a few coffee cans, then note when you've collected an inch. (Hot climates may call for more water; check your local paper to see if it publishes water evaporation rates.)
MYTH: Fertilize four times a year.
REALITY: Bi-annual feedings are plenty. "Feed your lawn three times a year, if you're inclined," says Morris. "But what's most crucial is providing food at the right time." That means two times in the hot months (May to August) in the southern parts of the country, and once in mid to late fall up North.
MYTH: Keep your Lawn cut really short.
REALITY: The type of grass and the region in which it's growing dictate the corrent hight (a government Cooperative Extension office can provide details; go to csrees.usda.gov/Extension
In general, blades are healthiest at about three inches in the North and about an inch shorter down South. Cutting grass too short will weaken it, making it susceptible to weeds and disease.
MYTH: Cover your lawn in weed killer. REALITY: Weed killer will work only when used directly on weeds; it won't actually prevent regermination. Crabgrass killer, however, is specifically designed to stop the weeds from sprouting. Applying it in the spring will payoff in the summer.
JEAN CHATZKY, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, MONEY
Hightlights added by page author
Other Sites to visit for Water Conservation and Saving...plus much more
Fixing Leaks
How-To Read your water meter and more
Residential Leak Information and Instructions
Help Stop The water Crisis!!! or we will run dry!!!
Our Most Precious Resource.."Water" In their 1980 issue of National Geographics Magazine, theywarned of " at that time" Severe shortages of water. The situation is critical to-day!!..The site posted here tells how to Conserve water and still enjoy it's benefits...You Can't Live withoutWater!!!
WATER & Your Health ...A Must read page
Things You Can Do...Sites with information that individuals can use at home or work to protectthe environment and themselves. Realistic "how to" and "what to" lists starting with water thenmoving to other areas.
Check out the Top 5 Actions to discover some of the best ways to save water in and around yourhome & more.
Water Management Tips & Tricks
Collect Water To Use In the Garden...Where to buy barrels and more
What Kids Can Do To Save water...Games...and more
Laws, Regulations, Policy, Guidance and Legislation Pertaining to Water
More, " What You Can Do "
EPA's " Information " site
Learn More about Your Community
Use the databases " Map " to learn more aboutenvironmental conditions in your community.
ESPANOL site on Water Conservation
Google's site on " Water Conservation "
Drought Monitor maps
Water, Water everywhere, BUT is it safe to drink?
More on "Is Your Water Fit to Drink?"... A simple guide to treatment systems
Water & Wastewater Guidance Site - Downloads, Links and Information for the EnvironmentalProfessional & the Consumer
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