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The facts about water leaks:
An American home can waste, on average, more than 11,000 gallons of
water every year due to running toilets, dripping faucets, and other
household leaks. That’s more than 1 trillion gallons of water that
leak from US homes each year.
Common types of leaks include leaking toilet flappers, dripping faucets,
and other leaking valves, which can all be fixed.
A leaky faucet that drips at the rate of 1 drip per second can waste
more than 3,000 gallons per year. Leaky faucets can be repaired by
checking and/or replacing worn faucet washers and gaskets. If you
are thinking about replacing a faucet, look for the WaterSense label.
An outdoor irrigation system with pressures set at 60 pounds per square
inch that has a leak of 1/32nd of an inch in diameter (about the
thickness of a dime!) can waste about 6,300 gallons water per month!
For more information about finding and fixing leaks, please grab a
wrench or contact your favorite handy person or plumber, to address
leaking toilets, faucets, and irrigation systems around your home. Visit
the
WaterSense website to learn more tips on how to save water.
Every Drop Counts!
Water
conservation is an important step to manage our water supply and stretch
it through the dry season. Water use during the peak of summer
often doubles or triples as the temperatures heat up. The heavy
demand for water comes at the same time there is the least additional
water supply available.
Water conservation is also required by Washington State Department of
Health through the adoption of the Water Use Efficiency Rule. WAC
246-290-100(4). This rule required water utilities to set goals for
water efficiency and to report on the status of achieving the goals each
year by July 1st. In Redmond, we publish the program results in
our Water
Quality Report.
Rebates from $50 to $100 are available for
qualifying models of
efficient clothes washers that use 40% less water and energy. A list
of qualifying models and a rebate application for Redmond water
utility customers is available
here.
Clothes washers usually last 10 or more years, so this is an
opportunity not to be missed. Our energy partner Puget Power at
www.pse.com has several other appliance
rebates.
“Member” and Cascade Water Alliance now offer a $100 rebate to
homeowners for the replacement of old toilets using 3.5 gallons per
flush or greater with new WaterSense Toilets. WaterSense Toilets are
certified by the US Environmental Protection Agency to use a maximum of
1.28 gallons per flush while still providing reliable performance.
There are currently limited WaterSense models available at most
retailers, but more are coming. Visit
Cascade Water
for an application form and a
list of available
models. Also check out the list of
Maximum Performance of
WaterSense High-Efficiency Toilet Fixtures before you make your next
toilet fixture purchase.
Be sure and look for the
WaterSense logo when you’re
shopping for a new toilet.
Outdoor water saving rebates are available through
Cascade Water
for irrigation controller system upgrades and the
installation of rain sensors for residential, multi-family, or
commercial irrigation systems.
Check out King County's website
Yard Talk: Dirt Simple Tips for Natural Yard Care. Lots of
ideas and suggestions on how to create and maintain a natural yard of
your own.
Outdoors - Become a Weather Watcher!
Adjust your irrigation system according to the weather. Water
before 10:00 AM or after 7:00 PM to reduce evaporation and interference
from wind. And, never water when it’s raining!
Estimated savings: 20-25 gallons per day
Don't overwater!
For in-ground irrigation system owners, reduce cycles by 1-3 minutes, or
eliminate one irrigation cycle per week.
Estimated savings: 15-25 gallons each minute or up to 250 gallons
per cycle
Adjust sprinklers to prevent overspray and run-off.
Estimated savings: 15-25 gallons per day
Run your irrigation system all the way through its cycles when you
can observe it. Then repair leaks and broken sprinkler heads.
Estimated savings: 20 gallons per day per week
(Don’t forget there are rebates for upgraded ET controllers and rain
sensors through
Cascade Water.
For all gardeners.
Add 2-3 inches of mulch around trees and plants to reduce evaporation.
Estimated savings: 20-30 gallons per day per 1,000 sq. ft.
Use a broom instead of a hose to clean driveways and walkways.
Estimated savings: 8-18 gallons per minute
Repair any leaks around pool and spa pumps.
Estimated savings: 20 gallons per day, per leak
Repair leaking hose bibs.
Estimated savings: 15-20 gallons per day, per leak
(Note: For information on water wasted due to leaks, visit the
Water Wiser Drip Calculator.)
Run the dishwasher only when full.
Estimated savings: 2-4.5 gallons per load
Replace older, inefficient clothes washers. (Rebates for
qualifying machines are still available through Cascade Water Alliance.)
Estimated savings: 15-30 gallons per load
Take shorter showers. For a free shower timer call 425-556-2845.
Estimated savings: 2.5 gallons per minute
A frequently asked question 'How does my water use compare to my
neighbor’s?' requires that a number of variables be considered
such as number of people in the house, age of appliances, long or short
showers, a lot of outdoor use or not, or are the folks even at home
during parts of the year.
To get an idea of how much water you use, you can go to
http://www.h2ouse.org/ to calculate
what you use, and to think about ways you can save.
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