Jose Mier’s List of Simple Tips for Conservation
Sun Valley is getting hot. Strike that. It’s hot already. I wrote a recent post on the increase in temperatures over the weekend and while we will cool down some in the next few days, overall the warm weather will continue.
What that means for Sun Valley residents (and the rest of Southern California) is that our drought conditions will continue. Water is truly our lifeblood and in California we need to take steps to ensure we have enough. My Jose Mier post about native plants addressed one aspect of conservation but there are things we can do inside our homes to reduce our consumption.
It seems odd to me that we have to reiterate these water-saving tips since we’ve been bombarded by water reduction PSAs and warnings for decades. It does seem like these suggestions should have become second nature to us in that time, but there may be people in California who need to be reminded. I can think of visitors or people who have moved here from less drought-prone areas of the country that may need to change habits now that they’re in our state so bear with me as I give you my list of tips for reducing the amount of water used at home.
First, you can turn off the water when brushing your teeth. This is something I’ve done for decades and it makes sense. Why let water run when you aren’t using it? I admit I used to let it run when I was very young but ever since my first encounter with a severe drought I changed very quickly and didn’t look back.
If you haven’t installed water-saving toilets, you may want to do so. The amount of many flushes adds up over time as you can easily imagine. The same goes for showerheads. Most available now in the state are water-saving devices but if yours is old you can benefit from a replacement. Similarly, the amount of time you spend in the shower can save on water use if you cut it down. I’m a quick showerer and can get clean in 5 minutes.
Save up your laundry as well and only wash when necessary. Fuller loads will reduce the amount of water used to clean your clothes.
Finally, you should make sure you do not have any leaky faucets in your house. If you’re handy with plumbing tighten those faucets down to eliminate leaks.
These are all easy, common sense things we can do to preserve our water supply levels and because Sun Valley is in one of the driest areas of the nation we need to take more care than most.
