Ways You Can Conserve Water During wartime and the Great Depression, it was of the utmost importance to conserve as much water

as possible. So important that they went to the extent of controlling the amount everyone was allowed.

This meant that our grandparents and great-

grandparents were forced to take baths in a few inches

of water. Today our water is not regulated, but should

require some self-regulation.

Fresh water is not easily come by. It consumes energy

to clean water that isn’t naturally fresh, and at the rate

that we are using it up, the environment is going to go

nowhere fast. We need to adapt some of the mentality

of our ancestors and remember that we do not have an unlimited supply of water. Here are a few ways

we can start conserving now.

How You do it 1. If your dishwasher is an older type, it may save water to hand wash it. Do not let the water run

the whole time washing, though. Fill one basin with wash water and the other with rinse water

and place in a dryer rack.

2. When you get thirsty and need a drink of water, fill up a water bottle or pitcher and keep it in

the fridge. Do not let any water go to waste while you are waiting for it to get colder when you

can just make it cold in the fridge.

3. Plug your bathtub first before drawing any water. It will start out cold but as long as you adjust

the temperature as it fills up it will still end up being a comfortably warm temperature. As

bathtubs can use up to 70 gallons of water, shorter

showers would also be much more efficient.

4. Leaks may seem harmless but a drip every second and add

up to five gallons a day. Make sure that all your faucets are

working and that your children know how to tightly turn

them off.

5. When giving your pet fresh water, throw the old water

onto your plants and gardens rather than throwing it out. It

is also a good idea to wash your dogs outside where the

excess water can help the plant life. The same thing goes

for extra ice cubes that either accidentally fall from your

freezer or are leftover from your drink. Rather than throw

them out, put them on a plant.

6. Don’t waste any water by accidentally watering your

driveway. Check your irrigation system to see that it is

actually watering what it is supposed to be watering. Any

extra water can be lost on the pavement or down the drain and become subsurface water.

7. Only washing your clothes and your dirty dishes when your washer and dishwasher are full can

save you up to 1,000 gallons of water a month.

Although we are not currently in a depression of a serious drought, it is important to remember all the

times that we and those in other countries have been. Do not take it for granted and remember these

tips to help you save water today and every day.

Photo Credit: hrbsir, Shawn