My Water

The Great Lakes hold more than 20 percent of the world’s fresh water, so many people in our region see no need to conserve this vital resource, even while they have adapted in other ways to a greener, more eco-friendly lifestyle.  A faucet dripping? No big deal. Leave the water running while you brush your teeth? Not a problem.

But the problem is that producing fresh, clean water takes energy. And the more we conserve water, the more energy we save. And while that dripping faucet doesn’t look like much, fixing a dripping faucet will make a measurable difference in your bill. Consider this: a faucet that drips 60 times a minute wastes more than 2,000 gallons of water in a year! (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) Just think, if every home in the Monroe County Water Authority’s system had just one dripping faucet, that would amount to more than 340 million gallons a year wasted.

Want to save water and money? These simple changes can make a real difference:

Fix leaky faucets and running toilets.

• Turn off water when brushing teeth or washing dishes.
• Consider a rain barrel for watering gardens and shrubs.
• Keep a pitcher of drinking water in the refrigerator instead of running the tap for each glass. Each glass will always be cold and refreshing!

Beat the Summertime Peak

Water usage peaks in the summer when consumers use five times as much water as during the winter months. One of the largest needs of water is for healthy lawns and gardens. Here are a few tips for smart summertime lawn care:

• Water your lawn only when necessary. If the grass springs back up when you walk on it, it doesn’t need watering.
• Don’t water the driveway! Position your sprinkler to water just the grass.
• Save time and money by watering early in the morning. After 10 a.m. the sun’s heat draws water from the lawn through evaporation. When you water early, you can water less because more of the water is absorbed into the lawn.
• Don’t sprinkle. Grass needs deep watering that gets to the roots. Watering well allows you to water less often. An added bonus: lawns with deep root growth are more drought resistant.