This week, Governor Gavin Newsome declared a drought emergency in 41 of 58 of California’s counties. The governor has not yet issued any mandatory water conservation measures, but it’s important to get started, drought emergency or not. It’s better to be prepared and also help to save our environment in the process. 

This means in the coming months (as well as year-round), we need to be more mindful of the amount of water we use in our day-to-day lives. According to the EPA, the average American family uses at least 300 gallons of water per day. And each individual American uses an average of 82 gallons of water per day.

With spring winding down, and summer on the horizon, Southern California is quickly warming up. It may be hard to save water, but there are plenty of methods. So, with strong indications of drought coming, what can you do to help preserve water in your own home? Here are some ways to start to improve your home’s water efficiency: 

• Get familiar with your water bill. Any changes in your bill will indicate if there’s been a significant change in your water usage habits. It might even shed light on some leaks you don’t know about.

• Turn off your tap water while brushing your teeth and shaving. Or just make sure to turn off your faucets in general when they’re not in use. This is one of the easiest ways to conserve water. Even though these activities don’t take a lot of time, they do utilize a lot of water. 

• Keep a pitcher of drinking water in the fridge. Instead of using water from the tap, have water ready.

• Only use your washer for full loads of laundry. Save time and water by waiting a bit longer to do your laundry.

• Take shorter showers. The length of the shower can vary from person to person, but keep in mind the amount of time your showers take. Try to be more efficient when it comes to washing your body, grooming, and washing your hair.

• If you have a garden, a great way to preserve water is to get into composting. If you don’t know where to start, there are a number of ways you can begin.

• Install a low-flow showerhead. Just using showerheads can save over 750 gallons of water a month. 

• Repair any leaks in your home. Remember, small drops of water can turn into large puddles if they aren’t taken care of. Household leaks waste over 900 million gallons of water nationwide.

• Install a water meter. Keep track of your water usage.

• Use a bucket and sponge to clean your car instead of a hose. 
• Don’t use your toilet as a waste bin! If you have any paper items or anything like cigarette butts, properly dispose of them instead of flushing them.

• Speaking of hoses, when cleaning your driveway, use a broom instead. 
• Even though it’s hot, don’t play water games with your sprinklers or hoses.

• If you have a dishwasher, also use that for full loads. Using running water from the sink constantly can be pretty wasteful, so consider using your dishwasher, or investing in one if you don’t have one already. 
• Never pour water down the drain when you can use it for something else! A good alternative is to use the water to nurture your plants.

Earthwise Hauling is dedicated to helping save water in any way that it can. Did you know that roughly 5 gallons of water are needed to process and produce just 1 gallon of petroleum based gasoline!? However, Natural Gas uses 50% less water during production! That is just one of the many reasons why our green fleet of Hauling trucks runs on clean-burning CNG (Compressed Natural Gas)!

For more ideas on how to preserve water, you can also visit the Water Project website.

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