Water Conservation Tips
What are the best ways to conserve water?
The answer depends on circumstances such as a customer's present water use patterns and the age of existing toilets and other water fixtures and appliances. For many customers, the following are a good start:
Calculate your Water Footprint.
Indoors
- Replace inefficient toilets, showerheads, washing machines and other water-using equipment when practical. (In some cases, they may pay for themselves by reducing monthly OWASA bills!) Toilet flushing, showering and bathing and washing clothes are normally the largest indoor water uses in a residence, so they are often the best opportunities to conserve. In particular, toilets installed before 1994 may use 2 to 3 times as much water as newer models.
- Regularly check for and repair leaks, and monitor your water use. Toilets are one of the most common places for leaks, but hoses, pipes, faucets, spigots and other water-using fixtures and devices should also be checked. Please see the links below for more detailed information. (Please note that we may provide account adjustments once every three years when leaks are repaired, subject to some limits and conditions.)
Outdoors
- If you irrigate, use water-smart methods to encourage healthy root systems and avoid overwatering, which can damage or weaken grass and other plants. (Please see the links below.)
- In planning or changing a landscape, choose grass, groundcover, shrubs and trees that are drought-tolerant and non-invasive.
- Protect your irrigation system from freezing and damage including water leaks. For technical help in shutting off your irrigation system and/or draining the water out of it, we suggest contacting the company that maintains your system, the system manufacturer, local distributor or another knowledgeable person. You can also find several websites with information if you search on the Internet for weatherizing irrigation systems.
- Leaks may occur in the private water service pipe that carries water from OWASA's meter to a residence or other building. If there is a wet spot on the ground between OWASA's meter and your residence/business in dry weather, investigate further. (Please check the flow indicator on OWASA's meter when there is no intended water use to determine whether is a leak somewhere in your plumbing system; then check toilets, faucets, pipes under the house, etc. to narrow the possible leak locations; a plumber can help confirm whether there is a leak in the outside water service line.)
Links