HOW DOES YOUR WATER USE

S T A C K U P?
You saw the water pyramid in the Home Water Challenge Video. The Water Use It Wisely partners have the actual 16-foot tall stack of water jugs travelling around to libraries and other public locations. The pyramid of 136 one-gallon jugs provides an amazing visual of the typical water use by each person each day here in the Valley. Rarely will anyone look at it and say, Hey! Thats how much water I consumed yesterday at home! But it just might be. How much water you and your family use each day may be more than you think. If you dont believe us, check for yourself. Pull out a recent utility bill... we dare you! Fill in the numbers in the chart below to see how your water use stacks up! [Hint: your water bill may indicate your consumption in 1,000 gallon units or by CCFs which stands for a hundred cubic feet. 1 CCF= 748 gallons. The chart below gives you examples of how to use each unit of measure]

Consumption - 6 gallons (drinking, cooking, water treatment, leaks, etc.)

Showers and baths 16 gallons

Toilets 18 gallons Household Cleaning 22 gallons (clothes and dishwasher, faucets) Outdoors 74 gallons (landscaping, pools, leaks, etc.)

Determine Your Monthly Water Use

136 gallons used by each person daily

If in CCF units If in 1000 gal. units Insert your numbers

Gallons used this month 18 ccf 18 x 748= 13,464 14 units 14 x 1000= 14,000

Number of people in household 4 people 13,464 4= 3,366

Number of days in month 30 days 3,36630= 112.2

Gallons used by each person each day 112 gal. per person/day

4 people 14,000 4= 3,500

30 days 3,500 30= 116

116 gal. per person/day

Rating Your Results

Excellent: Good: Fair: You Need Help! 30-80 gallons per person/day 81-150 gallons per person/day 151-249 gallons per person/day 250 or above

Where To Get Help

Outdoor watering is a great place to start as up to 70% of you water use is outdoors. There are over 100 tips, listings of classes, watering tutorials and more at www.wateruseitwisely.com/arizona. Contact your Water Use It Wisely water provider. Find them at this link: www.wateruseitwisely.com/region/arizona/links-and-resources/index.php.

The Water Use It Wisely regional partners include Avondale, Arizona Municipal Water Users Association, Arizona American Water, Chandler, El Mirage, Fountain Hills, Glendale, Global Water, Liberty Water, Mesa, Peoria, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Surprise, Salt River Project, Tempe & Queen Creek.

100 Ways To Conserve

There are a num ber of ways to sav e water, and they all start with you.

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#2 #3

W he n washing dishe s by hand, don't le t the wate r run while rinsing. Fill one sink with wash wate r and the othe r with rinse wate r. Som e re frige rators, air conditione rs and ice -m ak e rs are coole d with waste d flows of wate r. C onside r upgrading with air-coole d appliance s for significant wate r savings. Adjust sprink le rs so only your lawn is wate re d and not the house , side walk , or stre e t. R un your clothe s washe r and dishwashe r only whe n the y are full. You can save up to 1,000 gallons a m onth. C hoose shrubs and groundcove rs inste ad of turf for hard-to-wate r are as such as ste e p slope s and isolate d strips. Install cove rs on pools and spas and che ck for le ak s around your pum ps. Use the garbage disposal sparingly. C om post ve ge table food waste inste ad and save gallons e ve ry tim e . Plant in the fall whe n conditions are coole r and rainfall is m ore ple ntiful.

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#4
Shop the Store

#5 #6 #7 #8 #9

For cold drinks keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator instead of running the tap. This way, ev ery drop goes down you and not the drain.

#11 #12 #13 #14 #15 #16 #17 #18 #19 #20 #21 #22 #23 #24 #25 #26 #27

Monitor your wate r bill for unusually high use . Your bill and wate r m e te r are tools that can he lp you discove r le ak s. W ate r your lawn and garde n in the m orning or e ve ning whe n te m pe rature s are coole r to m inim ize e vaporation. W ash your fruits and ve ge table s in a pan of wate r inste ad of running wate r from the tap. Spre ading a laye r of organic m ulch around plants re tains m oisture and save s wate r, tim e and m one y. Use a broom inste ad of a hose to cle an your drive way and side walk and save wate r e ve ry tim e . If your showe r fills a one -gallon buck e t in le ss than 20 se conds, re place the showe rhe ad with a wate r-e fficie nt m ode l. C olle ct the wate r you use for rinsing fruits and ve ge table s, the n re use it to wate r house plants. If wate r runs off your lawn e asily, split your wate ring tim e into shorte r pe riods to allow for be tte r absorption. W e 're m ore lik e ly to notice le ak s indoors, but don't forge t to che ck outdoor fauce ts, sprink le rs and hose s for le ak s. If you have an autom atic re filling de vice , che ck your pool pe riodically for le ak s. C he ck the root zone of your lawn or garde n for m oisture be fore wate ring using a spade or trowe l. If it's still m oist two inche s unde r the soil surface , you still have e nough wate r. W he n buying ne w appliance s, conside r those that offe r cycle and load size adjustm e nts. The y're m ore wate r and e ne rgy e fficie nt. Shorte n your showe r by a m inute or two and you'll save up to 150 gallons pe r m onth. Upgrade olde r toile ts with wate r e fficie nt m ode ls. Adjust your lawn m owe r to a highe r se tting. A talle r lawn shade s roots and holds soil m oisture be tte r than if it is close ly clippe d. W he n cle aning out fish tank s, give the nutrie nt-rich wate r to your plants. Use sprink le rs for large are as of grass. W ate r sm all patche s by hand to avoid waste .

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Put food coloring in your toilet tank. If it seeps into the toilet bowl without flushing, you hav e a leak. Fixing it can sav e up to 1,000 gallons a m onth.

#29 #30 #31 #32 #33 #34 #35

W he n running a bath, plug the tub be fore turning the wate r on, the n adjust the te m pe rature as the tub fills up. W alk ways and patios provide space that doe sn't e ve r ne e d to be wate re d. The se use ful "room s" can also add value to your prope rty. C olle ct wate r from your roof to wate r your garde n. De signate one glass for your drink ing wate r e ach day or re fill a wate r bottle . This will cut down on the num be r of glasse s to wash. R athe r than following a se t wate ring sche dule , che ck for soil m oisture two to thre e inche s be low the surface be fore wate ring. Install a rain se nsor on your irrigation controlle r so your syste m won't run whe n it's raining. Don't use running wate r to thaw food. De frost food in the re frige rator for wate r e fficie ncy and food safe ty.

Use drip irrigation for shrubs and trees to apply water directly to the roots where it's needed.

#37 #38 #39 #40 #41

Grab a wre nch and fix that le ak y fauce t. It's sim ple , ine x pe nsive , and you can save 140 gallons a we e k . R e duce the am ount of lawn in your yard by planting shrubs and ground cove rs appropriate to your site and re gion. W he n doing laundry, m atch the wate r le ve l to the size of the load. Te ach your childre n to turn off fauce ts tightly afte r e ach use . R e m e m be r to che ck your sprink le r syste m valve s pe riodically for le ak s and k e e p the sprink le r he ads in good shape .

Use a water- efficient showerhead. They're inexpensiv e, easy to install, and can sav e you up to 750 gallons a m onth.
Se e how W ate rpik EcoFlow can he lp re duce your wate r use .

#43 #44 #45 #46 #47 #48 #49 #50 #51 #52 #53 #54 #55

Soak pots and pans inste ad of le tting the wate r run while you scrape the m cle an. Don't wate r your lawn on windy days whe n m ost of the wate r blows away or e vaporate s. W ate r your plants de e ply but le ss fre que ntly to e ncourage de e p root growth and drought tole rance . Know whe re your m aste r wate r shut-off valve is locate d. This could save wate r and pre ve nt dam age to your hom e . To de cre ase wate r from be ing waste d on sloping lawns, apply wate r for five m inute s and the n re pe at two to thre e tim e s. Group plants with the sam e wate ring ne e ds toge the r to avoid ove rwate ring som e while unde rwate ring othe rs. Use a laye r of organic m ate rial on the surface of your planting be ds to m inim ize we e d growth that com pe te s for wate r. Use a m inim um am ount of organic or slow re le ase fe rtilize r to prom ote a he althy and drought tole rant landscape . Trick ling or cascading fountains lose le ss wate r to e vaporation than those spraying wate r into the air. Use a com m e rcial car wash that re cycle s wate r. Avoid re cre ational wate r toys that re quire a constant flow of wate r. Turn off the wate r while brushing your te e th and save 25 gallons a m onth. Use a rain gauge , or e m pty tuna can, to track rainfall on your lawn. The n re duce your

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wate ring accordingly.

#56 #57 #58 #59 #60

Encourage your school syste m and local gove rnm e nt to de ve lop and prom ote wate r conse rvation am ong childre n and adults. Le arn how to shut off your autom atic wate ring syste m in case it m alfunctions or you ge t an une x pe cte d rain. Se t a k itche n tim e r whe n wate ring your lawn or garde n to re m ind you whe n to stop. A running hose can discharge up to 10 gallons a m inute . If your toile t flappe r doe sn't close afte r flushing, re place it. Mak e sure the re are wate r-saving ae rators on all of your fauce ts.

Next tim e you add or replace a flower or shrub, choose a low water use plant for year- round landscape color and sav e up to 550 gallons each year.

#62 #63 #64 #65 #66 #67 #68 #69 #70 #71 #72 #73 #74

Install an instant wate r he ate r ne ar your k itche n sink so you don't have to run the wate r while it he ats up. This also re duce s e ne rgy costs. Use a gre ase pe ncil to m ark the wate r le ve l of your pool at the sk im m e r. C he ck the m ark 24 hours late r to se e if you have a le ak . If your dishwashe r is ne w, cut back on rinsing. Ne we r m ode ls cle an m ore thoroughly than olde r one s. Use a trowe l, shove l, or soil probe to e x am ine soil m oisture de pth. If the top two to thre e inche s of soil are dry it's tim e to wate r. If installing a lawn, se le ct a turf m ix or ble nd that m atche s your clim ate and site conditions. W he n you save wate r, you save m one y on your utility bills too. Saving wate r is e asy for e ve ryone to do. W he n the k ids want to cool off, use the sprink le r in an are a whe re your lawn ne e ds it the m ost. Mak e sure your swim m ing pools, fountains, and ponds are e quippe d with re circulating pum ps. Bathe your young childre n toge the r. C onsult with your local nurse ry for inform ation on plant se le ction and place m e nt for optim um outdoor wate r savings. W inte rize outdoor spigots whe n te m pe rature s dip be low fre e zing to pre ve nt pipe s from le ak ing or bursting. Insulate hot wate r pipe s for m ore im m e diate hot wate r at the fauce t and for e ne rgy savings. W ash your car on the lawn, and you'll wate r your lawn at the sam e tim e .

Drop your tissue in the trash instead of flushing it and sav e water ev ery tim e.

#76 #77 #78 #79 #80 #81 #82 #83

Dire ct wate r from rain gutte rs and HVAC syste m s toward wate r-loving plants in the landscape for autom atic wate r savings. Mak e sugge stions to your e m ploye r about ways to save wate r and m one y at work . Support proje cts that use re claim e d waste wate r for irrigation and industrial use s. Use a hose nozzle or turn off the wate r while you wash your car. You'll save up to 100 gallons e ve ry tim e . Share wate r conse rvation tips with frie nds and ne ighbors. If your toile t was installe d be fore 1992, re duce the am ount of wate r use d for e ach flush by inse rting a displace m e nt de vice in the tank . Se tting cooling syste m s and wate r softe ne rs for a m inim um num be r of re fills save s both wate r and che m icals, plus m ore on utility bills. W ashing dark clothe s in cold wate r save s both on wate r and e ne rgy while it he lps your clothe s to k e e p the ir colors. Le ave lowe r branche s on tre e s and shrubs and allow le af litte r to accum ulate on the soil. This

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k e e ps the soil coole r and re duce s e vaporation. #84

#85 #86 #87 #88 #89 #90 #91

R e port brok e n pipe s, ope n hydrants and e rrant sprink le rs to the prope rty owne r or your wate r provide r. Le t your lawn go dorm ant during the sum m e r. Dorm ant grass only ne e ds to be wate re d e ve ry thre e we e k s or le ss if it rains. Plant with finishe d com post to add wate r-holding and nutrie nt-rich organic m atte r to the soil. Use sprink le rs that de live r big drops of wate r close to the ground. Sm alle r wate r drops and m ist ofte n e vaporate be fore the y hit the ground. Liste n for dripping fauce ts and running toile ts. Fix ing a le ak can save 300 gallons a m onth or m ore . W ate r only whe n ne ce ssary. More plants die from ove r-wate ring than from unde r-wate ring. O ne m ore way to ge t e ight glasse s of wate r a day is to re -use the wate r le ft ove r from cook e d or ste am e d foods to start a scrum ptious and nutritious soup.

Adjust your watering schedule each m onth to m atch seasonal weather conditions and landscape requirem ents.

#93 #94 #95 #96 #97 #98 #99 #100 #101 #102 #103 #104 #105 #106 #107 #108 #109

Turn off the wate r while you wash your hair to save up to 150 gallons a m onth. W ash your pe ts outdoors in an are a of your lawn that ne e ds wate r. W he n shopping for a ne w clothe s washe r, com pare re source savings am ong Ene rgy Star m ode ls. Som e of the se can save up to 20 gallons pe r load, and e ne rgy too. Apply wate r only as fast as the soil can absorb it. Ae rate your lawn at le ast once a ye ar so wate r can re ach the roots rathe r than run off the surface . W he n washing dishe s by hand, fill the sink basin or a large containe r and rinse whe n all of the dishe s have be e n soape d and scrubbe d. C atch wate r in an e m pty tuna can to m e asure sprink le r output. O ne inch of wate r on one square foot of grass e quals two-thirds of a gallon of wate r. Turn off the wate r while you shave and save up to 300 gallons a m onth. W he n you give your pe t fre sh wate r, don't throw the old wate r down the drain. Use it to wate r your tre e s or shrubs. If you accide ntally drop ice cube s whe n filling your glass from the fre e ze r, don't throw the m in the sink . Drop the m in a house plant inste ad. To save wate r and tim e , conside r washing your face or brushing your te e th while in the showe r. W hile staying in a hote l or e ve n at hom e , conside r re using your towe ls. W he n back flushing your pool, conside r using the wate r on your landscaping. For hanging bask e ts, plante rs and pots, place ice cube s unde r the m oss or dirt to give your plants a cool drink of wate r and he lp e lim inate wate r ove rflow. Throw trim m ings and pe e lings from fruits and ve ge table s into your yard com post to pre ve nt using the garbage disposal. W he n you have ice le ft in your cup from a tak e -out re staurant, don't throw it in the trash, dum p it on a plant. Have your plum be r re -route your gray wate r to tre e s and garde ns rathe r than le tting it run into the se we r line . C he ck with your city code s, and if it isn't allowe d in your are a, start a m ove m e nt to ge t that change d. Ke e p a buck e t in the showe r to catch wate r as it warm s up or runs. Use this wate r to flush toile ts or wate r plants. W he n you are washing your hands, don't le t the wate r run while you lathe r. Look for products be aring the EPA W ate rSe nse Labe l for ite m s that be e n ce rtifie d to save 20% or m ore without sacrificing pe rform ance .

#110 #111 #112

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