Water Conservation Tips

These tips can help you squeeze the most value from the water you buy for household use: 

• Are you curious about how much water a typical home needs? Check out this simple worksheet to help you learn your water budget and compare to your monthly bill.

• Track down sneaky leaks to save water for more useful tasks.

• An older toilet could be the largest water use in your home. Consider buying a new, performance-tested WaterSense-labeled toilet to save water with every flush. To qualify for a rebate, new toilets must be 1.0 gallon per flush or less models. 

• Replace your worn-out clothes washer or dishwasher with an ENERGY STAR ® model to save energy and water.

• Calculate appoximately how much water you use each day. The Water Use Calculator from Alliance for Water Efficiency shows you which water uses in your home are efficient and which are not, and gives simple conservation tips.

Use water wisely outdoors

If you water your yard, you probably see a significant increase in your summer water bills. Take these simple steps to make the most of every gallon you buy without changing your lifestyle:

• Use timers to give your yard and garden just the right amount to drink. 

• The typical underground lawn sprinkler system uses about 12 gallons a minute. Most yards are watered for about 75 minutes (900 gallons) each time the program is set to run. Make every minute count. The Weekly Watering Recommendations explain how much water is needed to keep plants healthy all season.

• If you choose to water your lawn, follow Oregon State University Extension Service guidelines to maintain a healthy lawn in western Oregon.

• Mulch your shrubs and flowers to keep water in the root zone.

• Use soaker hoses or drip irrigation on your shrubs, flowers and in your vegetable garden.

• Plant native or water-efficient plants adapted to the Willamette Valley.