SOUNDING OFF: Lots of ways to reduce water usage

It was with much interest that I read your story about Laguna’s water supply being tapped out (“Laguna water getting tapped out,” Coastline Pilot, Feb. 8). Having lived in a couple of jurisdictions where there were water concerns, I have had some experience with things that can be done.

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Government policies.

The city could start at home. The public flower beds on Forest Avenue are watered by an outdated (or maladjusted) sprinkler system that sprays water all over the sidewalk, instead of a drip system, which uses less water and has no runoff if properly installed.

Explore systems to use waste water for outdoor watering.

Have large users explore using recycled waste water.

Require gutters for new construction and renovations. Give people loans or grants to install them. They should be directed to send the run off into flower beds or lawns. Water can also be directed to rain barrels or containers for watering needs.

Require water-efficient toilets to be installed on all new construction and renovations. Give homeowner grants for installing them. These have had a long testing period in other jurisdictions, and they are now quite efficient.

Require all apartment buildings and multiple unit dwellings to install individual water meters where practicable. Have a grant or low interest loan program to help owners do this. It has been proven elsewhere that if apartment dwellers pay for their own water they use less.

Ban all use of hoses to rinse driveways or sidewalks (I see people do this almost every day here).

Fine locations where sprinklers are improperly aimed and water is wasted.

Mount a huge water conservation campaign and don’t let up. People simply aren’t aware of where our water comes from or the fact that we live in a desert.

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Homeowners

Install water-efficient toilets, taps and appliances.

Have a water-efficient shower head with a shut off lever. There is no reason why you need to run the shower while you are soaping up or conditioning your hair. Turning the flow off and on at the shower head facilitates this.

Have a similar mechanism on your kitchen faucet. You will be less likely to run water needlessly if you can easily shut it off.

Cook with cold water rather than running water to get to the hot stuff. This practice just leaves a lot of hot water left in the pipes, which will cool down, and you will probably just run it again.

Don’t run water while shaving or brushing your teeth. Similarly, run the dishwasher only when it is full. Use showers instead of a bathtub.

Whenever possible, water your plants with a watering can rather than a hose. You will use far less water and have no runoff.

Fix all leaky faucets, indoors and out.

Replace sprinklers with drip systems. Water less often and more deeply. This forces roots to go deeper, and plants will be less susceptible to dryness on the surface.

Have water-friendly plants.

And this is the big one, although the squeamish may not like it. Anyone who has ever had a cottage or house on a septic system knows that too much water flowing through the tank tends to slow down the bacterial process, so they try to cut down on water use. In many homes and cottages in these areas you will often find a sign over the toilet that reads something like, “If it’s yellow let it mellow, if it’s brown flush it down.” Especially in families with many people using the toilet, it simply isn’t necessary for everyone to flush every time. This can save hundreds of gallons of water a week.

There are probably dozens of other ways to save water.

Not wasting water is a far better solution to our water problems than hugely expensive and energy sucking de-salination plants.

TOM WILLIAMS is a Laguna Beach resident.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Tom Williams owns My Laguna Office.