This week is National Drinking Water Week, but what does that mean exactly? The short answer is that it is an opportunity for communities around the country to recognize the vital role water plays in our daily lives and to ensure everyone has clean, safe drinking water.  In honor of this event, we thought we would take a look at a few ways in which we can each do our part to conserve our water supply, in order to provide a continuous source of fresh drinking water.

There are several states that are currently experiencing drought emergencies which makes water conservation efforts not just a luxury, but a vital necessity.  If everyone starts out making even minor adjustments to the amount of water they consume, those small changes will add up and make a major impact on overall water consumption.  Here is a list of some easy and common sense ways to begin conserving water:

  • Stop and repair any water leaks in your home.  Leaky faucets and toilets can waste in inordinate amount of water in a short amount of time.  A slowly dripping faucet might seem inconsequential, but over the course of a year, it can easily waste more than 2,700 gallons of water.  Replacing old worn out washers is usually an easy fix for a dripping faucet.  Many leaky toilets can also be repaired by making some minor adjustments.
  • Taking shorter showers seems like an easy solution, but an even better option is to replace your existing shower head with a high efficiency one.  These new eco-friendly shower heads are designed to maintain good water pressure while using much less water.  This simple swap alone can reduce your shower water usage by 20 to 60 percent.
  • Never throw water away.  Use any leftover water from cooking or drinking to water plants or even give to the dog or cat.
  • If you use an old water softener system in your home, consider replacing it with a more eco-friendly, metered soft water system such as the ones we offer.
  • Never leave the water running needlessly.  If you are brushing your teeth, turn the water off in between rinses, letting it run for the two minutes you are brushing can waste more water than you think.
  • Always use energy star appliances whenever possible and make sure you are running full loads in both your washing machine as well as your dishwasher.

We do not have an endless supply of fresh drinking water and if we are careless with our consumption of it, we could one day find ourselves without any resources left.  Let’s all take time this week to evaluate our own water consumption and seek out ways in which we can conserve.  Remember, even minor changes can make a huge impact so get started today on your water conservation efforts.