WATER CONSERVATION :: TIPS :: LAWN WATERING GUIDE

In the kitchen

• Run the dishwasher only when you have a full load of dirty dishes.
• Keep a container of cold water stored in the refrigerator for drinking.
• Wash fruits and vegetables in a pan of water, then recycle the water on your potted plants.
• Repair leaking faucets.

In the bathroom

• Take shorter showers or turn down the water pressure in the faucet.
• Retrofit plumbing with new low-flow water fixtures.
• Place a plastic bottle in older toilet tanks to reduce the water volume level.
• Do not flush items such as bugs, facial tissue, cigarette butts, or other trash down the toilet.
• Do not fill the tub all the way.
• Repair toilets that "run" continuously.

In the laundry room

• Wash clothes only when you have a full load of dirty laundry.
• Consider new front loading washing machines that use ½ as much water as traditional clothes washers.
• Wash delicate clothes by hand or on a low water use cycle.

Outside the house:

• Fill swimming pools at lower levels to avoid water loss.
• Irrigate lawns during the early morning hours or late in the evening.
• Zone or group plants together that require same amounts of water.
• Use native plants that adapt well to Texas summers (Xeriscape Gardening).
• Consider using rocks, wooden decking, and patio fixtures to reduce lawn areas.
• Adjust automatic sprinklers to turn off when it rains.
• Reset automatic sprinklers when summer heat ends.
• Cover hot tubs when not in use to reduce evaporation.
• Install modern landscape devices, such as drip irrigation, that applies water at the plant root level.
• Mow grass at taller heights when the summer sun becomes intense.
• Use decorative fountains that recycle water and discontinue use during hot summer months.
• Turn off the hose while washing the car or use a bucket of clean water.
• Do not allow water to run down sidewalks, driveways, or out into the street.
• Design flower beds that are heavily mulched that require less water than normal grasses and turfs.
• When installing new landscape, consider newer species such as Buffalo Grass, that require less water than St. Augustine and Bermuda.

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