Don’t just let it mellow… consider these other water-saving ways to help you conserve water!
HOUSEHOLD:
Go with Low Flow: Consider installing pressure-compensating showerheads and faucet aerators. Installing a two-gallon-per-minute showerhead can save up to 2,900 gallons annually. Putting in new aerators on your bathroom and kitchen faucets can save 700 gallons more. Don’t worry about not having enough pressure – for instance, many Danco items offer Cyclone Force Technology, providing 25% more pressure without using more water!
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Convert to a dual-flush toilet – easily! No you don’t need to replace your toilet. Fluidmaster’s Dual Flush Conversion Kits easily convert your single flush toilet to a dual-flush system.
Find and fix leaks: repair leaks throughout the inside and outside of your home. TOILETS are responsible for 30% of our indoor water usage; does yours need a new handle, flapper, or fill valve? Write down your toilet’s make and model (often on the toilet lid), or if you can’t find it, take a photo of your potty and bring it in to Marin Ace so we can help find the right replacement item!
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Use WaterSense Technology: When choosing a new faucet, showerhead, toilet, clothes washer, or irrigation controller, look for items meeting WaterSense criteria to conserve water without sacrificing performance.
Use a Broom: sweep driveways and patios with a broom rather than hosing them down.
Car Washing: Wash vehicles with a bucket and a sponge; use a hose with a self-closing nozzle to rinse.
GARDENS:
Turn it off: If you haven’t turned off your irrigation system for the winter, now is the time. Even without rain, most plants require little water this time of year. (During dry periods, check high-water-use plants for stress and water if needed.)
When you do water, use efficient irrigation practices such as drip, water deeply but less frequently, and water early in the morning or late in the evening to avoid evaporation.
Mulch your garden: a blanket of mulch will slow evaporation and protect roots from the cold. Adding compost will help your plants be stronger and more drought-tolerant too.
Plant drought-tolerant natives: Marin Ace carries a wide variety of drought-tolerant perennials year-round in our back garden section.
Get away from spray irrigation: Upgrade your irrigation system by converting some of your spray systems to drip irrigation. Or, improve the efficiency of your current sprinklers by changing them to high-efficiency rotor-type nozzles. Rotors can fit into existing spray bodies and use one-third less water. By putting out water in small, finger-like streams, they water slowly, more evenly, and reduce water loss due to evaporation and runoff.
Reduce your grass. A small-sized area of turf, with a spray system operating at ten gallons per minute, can easily use 100 gallons per day, 300 per week, and 15,600 annually! (Marin Ace does offer Scott’s Classic Heat & Drought Grass Seed Mix, a grass variety which better tolerates drought, if you are insistent on turf!) Irrigating your grass helps to deliver water to the root system too.
Visit us at Marin Ace for more water-saving suggestions specific to your needs.
180 Merrydale Road · San Rafael, CA 94903
415/479-9393 · www.MarinAce.com
For more water-saving tips, visit our water district’s home page –rebates may even be available!
