Although water is still one of the least expensive items you can buy, the cost of delivering water to your home is increasing. Inflation has affected the cost of producing water just as it has affected everything you buy.

We are as concerned about this situation as you are, therefore we would like to give you some tips to cut down on unnecessary water consumption. Making a habit of conserving water will not only keep your water bill down, it will help to protect our natural resources.

Did you know that the average person uses about 100 gallons of water per day? The average shower takes 25 gallons, a bath takes about 35 gallons. It takes 12 gallons to wash the dinner dishes by machine and perhaps 50 gallons or more for machine washing a load of clothes. In a year, you as an individual account for the use of tens of thousands of gallons of water. Leaky plumbing is by far the biggest household water waster. A one-sixteenth-inch leak can send 100 gallons of water down the drain in 24 hours.

To detect and eliminate this type of water waste, a household leak check should include:

• Check all faucets from the attic to the cellar and replace worn washers or defective fixtures.
• Check outside water taps to ensure they are turned off when not in use. Don't depend on the hose nozzle – use the faucet for cutoff.
• Check after every use to make sure faucets connected to washing machines or other water-using appliances are turned off when the equipment is not in use. This preserves the equipment and avoids leaks.
• Check for suspected leaks by using your meter to make a leak test; turn off all faucets and other water outlets and watch the dials of your meter for ten minutes to see if the meter is registering. Since your water meter registers only when water is running through it, this is the quickest way to discover possible leaks.
• Check for a leak in the toilet by coloring the water in the flush tank with household bluing. If any of the parts need adjustment or repair, the colored water will seep into the bowl (without flushing) providing a visible clue to the presence of a leak. Repairs should be made promptly. Also, don't use the toilet as a trash can – each flush uses between five and seven gallons of water.
• Most leaks result from a worn washer in faucets – something that you can probably fix yourself.

In the yard...

• Keep an eye on your sprinklers when watering your lawn; a poorly placed sprinkler or a shift in the wind direction can result in watering the sidewalk or street instead of the lawn. Don't forget to turn the sprinklers off after the lawn has received a good sprinkling.
• The best time to water the lawn is in the morning hours. The ground has cooled during the night so less evaporation occurs.
• A half inch garden hose, delivering water at a normal household pressure runs at a rate of more than 300 gallons of water an hour. When washing your car, never let the hose run water on the ground while applying the soap. When using the hose to rinse the car, be sure to use a nozzle which provides for effective dispersal of the spray, providing greater coverage and a faster rinse with less water.
• Use a broom or yard rake to clean sidewalks, curbs and driveways instead of the hose.

In the shower...

• If your shower has two hand controls (one for hot water and one for cold), always turn the hot handle first and let it run until it becomes warm. Then turn on the cold to get the right temperature. This way you will not waste water from the cold feed while the hot feed is warming up.
• A thermostatic temperature control added to your shower will save the amount of water that is wasted while you are adjusting the shower to the desired temperature.
• Shutting off the water while soaping in the shower will save you water.
• Most plumbing manufacturers have developed shower heads with manual adjustments that permit throttling back the water flow or shutting it off completely.

At the tap...

• Under normal pressure, a household spigot generally runs at a rate of 3 – 5 gallons a minute.
• Don't waste water by trying to run it cool at the faucet. Fill a container and cool it in the refrigerator.
• Don't let the water run when scrubbing vegetables, brushing your teeth, hand washing dishes, shaving, or washing your hair.
• Always wash a full load in dishwashers and washing machines to get the greatest benefit of machine operation and water use.