Indoor Water Conservation

  • Replace older toilets with a Water Sense labeled, high efficiency toilet. Older toilets can use 4 times more water per flush.
  • Regularly check for and repair leaks. If all water is turned off, and your meter is still moving, you may have a leak. Even small leaks can waste hundreds to thousands of gallons of water a month.
  • Wash only full loads. The average American household uses about 23% of its water running the clothes and dishwashers.
  • Let your dishwasher do the work. An average dishwasher uses about 10 gallons per load. Running the average faucet for just four minutes uses the same amount of water.
  • Check your toilet for leaks at least once per year. Add 10 drops of food coloring or dye tablets to the tank and wait 30 minutes. If the tank is leaking, you will see color in the bowl. Free toilet leak detection dye tablets are available to District customers upon request.
  • Install a high efficiency showerhead and save about 1 gallon per minute. Free high efficiency showerheads are available to District customers upon request.
  • Install an aerator on your bathroom or kitchen faucet and save about 1 gallon per minute. An aerator puts air into the water stream, so you get the same feeling of pressure, but you use less water. Free bathroom and kitchen faucet aerators are available to District customers upon request.
  • Turn the faucet on only to rinse when brushing your teeth, washing your hands, or shaving. You will save up to 2.5 gallons a minute.
  • Know where your master water shut-off valve is located. In the event of a leak, knowing how to shut off the water to your house could save you water and prevent damage to your home.
  • Select an Energy Star-approved clothes washer next time you purchase a new washer. They use 15-20 less gallons of water per load, and you will see savings on your energy costs too.
  • Reuse clean household water. Collect the water wasted while waiting for hot water to reach your faucet or shower and use it to water your plants.
  • Insulate your hot water pipes. It will take less time for the water to heat.
  • Keep a pitcher of drinking water in the refrigerator instead of letting the faucet run until the water becomes cold.
  • Take shorter showers (five minutes or less).
  • Flush less often. Don’t use your toilet as a wastebasket.

For more information on how you can conserve water, including how-to videos, resources, and events, visit the Regional Water Providers Consortium’s conservation page.