Water conservation made easy

Recent rainfall has not been nearly enough to pull the region out of a moderate, but persistent drought. York is one of 28 counties in the second stage of drought and although authorities are not imposing restrictions, residents are asked to voluntarily conserve water, including limiting watering yards no more than two days a week.

To those who make sustainability a way of life, water should be treated as a precious resource regardless of weather conditions.

“We only talk about water when we’re in drought,” said Chris Johnson, sustainability coordinator for Winthrop University.

“It’s one of those things we should talk about all the time.”

Victoria Klein, author of “48 Things to Know About Sustainable Living,” said residents here should look at California, which is actually running out of potable water. Some estimates say the state could actually run out of water in less than two years if conditions don’t change, leading the state to enact severe restrictions.

“I don’t know too many people who would want the Carolinas to turn into California,” she said. “One way to help prevent that is to use a lot less water.”

One easy and fairly inexpensive way to do that, Johnson said, is by installing a re-circulating pump to collect water in the shower while you’re waiting for it to get hot. Rather then going down the drain, the pump sends the water back into your lines. Simply turn off the pump before you get into the shower.

Klein offers a low-tech way to re-use the cold shower water.

“While the water is heating up for your shower, put buckets in the shower to collect the cold water and use it to water your plants,” she said.

Here are other water-saving tips from Klein, who has many more included in her book, which is available in print or digital formats:

• If you’re washing dishes by hand, don’t let the water run when you’re not actively rinsing something. If you can, use your dishwasher – newer models often use less water than washing by hand.
• Avoid using your garbage disposal. Try composting your fruits and vegetable scraps instead. Material you gain from composting is great for growing herbs or a small container garden year-round.
• If you drop an ice cube, don’t throw it in the sink. Instead, toss the ice cube in a house plant. The melting ice cube will water the plant slowly.
• Even if your toilet is silent, it may be leaking. Put food coloring in the back tank. If the food coloring shows up in the toilet bowl, you’ve got a leak. Fix the leak and you could saving gallons.
• Add a simple aerator to each of your faucets. It adds air into the water as it comes out of the faucet, increase the water pressure and reducing water usage.
• Choose one day per week to eat vegetarian. Meat production is one of the highest consumers of water in the country. Check out more at meatlessmonday.com.
• Dog need a bath? Wash your dog outside on a patch of lawn that needs to be watered.

This story was originally published September 18, 2015 at 3:19 PM with the headline "Water conservation made easy."