August 2011 challenge: Get a water-saving habit

Every summer, as Oregon households turn on sprinklers and hoses, water use goes up and river water gets lower. Residential water use doubles at the same time that agricultural irrigation season pulls water from our rivers. If water levels get too low, fish and wildlife struggle to survive in warm water and concentrated pollutants. While 2011 is a high-water year, forecasts suggest that we’ll have more people sharing less water in summers to come. Try a new water-saving practice today, and you’ll start a habit that will save you money and keep water flowing well into the future.

Pledge to take at least one of the following three actions, and you'll be entered to win a gift certificate to Full Sail Brewing in Hood River!

Pledge to do your part

1. Water your yard one inch (or less!) per week

Lawns require about one inch of water per week; shrubs, perennials and vegetables need even less. You can use a tuna can to measure how much you water in a week; see how. Water in the morning or evening when the air is cooler to get the most water to your plants.

Better yet, skip the watering altogether. Replace some of your lawn with beautiful, water efficient plants. Get some ideas here:

• Water-efficient plants for the Willamette Valley
• If you live in Central Oregon, check out the High Desert Xeriscaping Guide
• 7 steps for creating water efficient landscapes

For more outdoor conservation tips, visit Conserve H2O or contact your water provider.

2. Make your toilet water smart

Toilets use about 27% of the water in most homes, making them the biggest indoor water user. They’re also common places to find leaks. Check your toilet for leaks and fix them. Here’s how.

To save even more water and money, replace your old, water-hogging toilet with a WaterSense certified toilet. You could get a cash rebate from your municipal water provider.

Participating water providers include:

• City of Tigard
• City of Hillsboro
• Rockwood Water PUD
• Tualatin Valley Water District
• City of Lake Oswego
• Medford Water Commission
• City of Ashland
• City of Corvallis
• City of Veneta

Contact your water provider for more info about their water conservation programs.

For more indoor water conservation tips, visit Conserve H2O.

3. Calculate your water footprint

Using an online calculator is a powerful way to tally how much water you’re using compared to average. Here are two we recommend:

• For a simple estimate, use the Bonneville Environmental Foundation’s water footprint calculator. It gives you the opportunity to purchase water credits to offset your water use and contribute to river restoration projects. You can also receive free water-saving shower heads and faucet aerators.
• The Water-Energy-Climate calculator is a more detailed calculator that not only calculates your water use, it also estimates the energy associated with that water. Because it requires energy to purify municipal water, get it to your home, and then treat your sewage, saving water saves energy.

Photo credits
water drop: foshydog