What you need to know: Home water conservation

By Kate Nolan
Green Right Now

If you want to save something, try water. It’s going fast. Depletion of the U.S. water supply isn’t something you can argue about. It’s visible, measurable and predictable. Since 2005, every U.S. region has been short on water, and use increases annually. Even New York City has experienced drought in recent years.

Population growth is one factor in the shortage. But the more sobering issue is that the U.S. water supply itself is in permanent decline.

The country’s breadbasket regions in the Midwest and California are sopping up water faster than rain or snow can replenish it. The Colorado River and its reservoirs, serving seven population-growth states and Mexico, are running dry. Dozens of California municipalities have imposed water rationing, and 500,000 farm acres there lie fallow. A respected study says one Colorado basin boom town — Phoenix, the fifth largest city in the U.S. — has a 50-50 chance of running dry by 2021.

The Ogallala Aquifer (beneath Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming) is running dry with a refill unlikely. The aquifer irrigates most Great Plains agriculture. Switching to low-water crops may be its only hope.

At the same time, the country is switching to “clean” industries, some of which — like manufacturing microchips — use a lot of water. Nuclear power, another “clean” enterprise, could reduce our carbon footprint, but it will require a lot of water.

In view of the great slurp industrial and agricultural users are taking, can mere individuals have any impact on water supplies? Can adopting a green lifestyle put a drop back in the bucket?

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says, yes.

“Homes use half the water in the U.S., more than is used by business or industry,” said Stephanie Thornton of the EPA’s WaterSense program. On average, we each use 100 gallons of water a day at home, in addition to the 47 gallons each of us consumes out in the community. Thornton says there is so much waste that relatively small changes could conserve billions of gallons.

“Toilets are by far the biggest water user inside the home, accounting for 30 percent of water used,” she said. “Replacing every old toilet with new low-flow models across the country would save 640 billion gallons annually.”

It’s easy to find the right toilet:  just look for the EPA’s WaterSense label, which identifies high-performing, water-efficient products for use throughout the home. (The agency’s Energy Star label indicates energy efficiency.)

Another thing you can do: eliminate leaks. The EPA estimates U.S. homes leak more than a trillion gallons of water a year. The problem is so crucial the EPA sponsors a national “Fix A Leak Week” each March.

But there’s much more to do. Start small and work up to planning some major household purchases:

Little things you can do

For starters, here are a few simple tips that require nothing but kicking bad habits.

Indoors:

• Meditate without the water feature: Don’t run water while shaving, rinsing dishes, washing hands or brushing teeth.
• Take five-minute showers: turn water off to lather up and on to rinse.
• Collect shower water and flow spewed from faucets while you wait for hot water: reuse it for watering plants indoors and out.
• Keep a container of chilled drinking water in the fridge: avoid running tap water until cool.
• Dispose of food waste in a compost pile or a garbage can: avoid using a high water-volume garbage disposal.

Outdoors:

• Sweep. Use a broom instead of a hose to clean sidewalks, driveways and patios.
• Seal drippy hose connections. Spend ten cents on a washer.
• Reduce evaporation. Water plants in the early morning and use sprinklers that make big drops instead of a mist that evaporates before it hits the ground.
• Water less. Most people water too much. Use mulch to retain moisture, and very little fertilizer—it needs water to work. Windbreaks and fences can slow evaporation by wind.
• Don’t water when it rains. Sounds obvious, but is a strangely overlooked strategy. Build on the idea with rain shut-off devices for irrigated yards.

Bigger things you can do

Low-water upgrades are available in virtually every appliance that uses water. The federal “Cash for Appliance Clunkers 2010″ program can help take the sting out of the cost of upgrading. Under the plan, appliances may qualify for state or local rebates or tax credits. Run by the U.S. Department of Energy, the $300 million rebate program is already under way in some states. Each state has its own approach and details, such as the amount rebated, the variety of appliances and types of incentives.

Aerators or flow restrictors: Retrofit all faucets with these little gems. At $1 or $2 each, they can save 2,700 gallons a year per faucet. By adding air to the water stream, they reduce the flow rate of high volume faucets to .5-2.5 gallons per minute or less. The result is a spray that maintains water pressure. Each aerator’s flow rate is imprinted on its side.

Low-flow toilets: For $100 you can replace old toilets that use four gallons per flush or more with new high-efficiency toilets (HET), rated at 1.6 GPF (gallons per flush) or less, or dual-flush toilets. The flush rate is posted inside the tank. You can get a pressure-assisted toilet, but traditional gravity-flush toilets are adequate in most homes.

Dual-flush toilets have two options, one for a liquid waste flush that uses less than a gallon, and a second one for solid waste that uses 1.6 gallons. This split option can reduce water usage by up to 67 percent, and you don’t have to think about it — an infrared sensor light activates the appropriate flush.

A high-efficiency toilet can save 4,000 gallons of water per person per year.

If you can’t install a low-flow toilet, try to displace some water in your old tank. But avoid the old trick of putting a brick in it – bricks crumble. Instead, fill a plastic gallon bottle with water and submerge it in the toilet tank. It reduces the volume of water used in each flush.

Low-water showerhead: The maximum flow allowed by the EPA is 2.5 GPM (gallons per minute), but many new showerheads use less. Showerheads with the WaterSense label must use no more than 2.0 GPM.

One way to boost efficiency is by aerating, or oxygenating, the spray, an especially useful technology for homes with low water pressure – and one that helps avoid the flattened hair-dos featured in a famous Seinfeld episode involving low-flow showerheads. Here are some choices:

• An Aqua Helix model ($30) aerates the flow with a “spinning cone” technology to maintain a strong spray that consumes less than .5 GPM.
• For $20, the Oxygenics SkinCare aerated showerhead reduced water use to 1.5 GPM. It’s sold online and at major home improvement stores.
• Kohler has begun offering low-flow options, with a selection that includes 1.75 GPM showerheads.
• Moen also has brought low-flow showerheads into its inventory, getting water use down to 1.5 or 1.75 GPM with in a variety of models.

Tankless water heater: Seas of water go down the drain while we wait for hot water to flow to us through the plumbing. Tankless heaters, or

“on-demand” heaters, skip the pipes, heating the water as it is used. Low energy electric and gas tankless heaters range from whole-home units, starting around $1,000, that can support two simultaneous showers to smaller under-the-counter units. One under-the counter unit, the Stiebel Eltron Mini 4 ($150) can be installed in a single bathroom, kitchen or laundry room. Generally, gas-units provide more hot water than electric units.

The units also may lower water-heating energy bills by 20 percent because they don’t heat standing water. But on-demand units aren’t right for every household. Some heaters provide only five heated gallons of water per minute. That’s enough for one or two people, but those who need multiple showers or do laundry and wash dishes at the same time may have problems.

If you don’t go tankless, insulate your pipes and water heater to keep the water in them hot or cold, decreasing the need to run water until it’s the right temperature.

Hot water-recirculating system. Here, hot water recirculates between the faucet and water heater to stay hot, eliminating the wait for hot water. Systems include a hot water line that goes from the heater to the farthest fixture and back to the heater, a pump, thermostat, a timer and some valves. Manufacturers estimate 11,000 to 15,000 gallons can be saved annually for average families by eliminating the wait for hot water. Cost is $1,200-$1,500; rebates may be available for retrofitting existing homes.

Low-water clothes washer. Most washers use about 40 gallons of water per load and can account for 25 percent of indoor household water use, according to the EPA. You can halve that figure with a front-loading washer. Look for the EPA’s WaterSense label when purchasing a new washer. If you do your laundry outside the home, look for a business that uses low-water-use washers.

New front-loading models use very little water by scrubbing the laundry differently—they drop it, during the spin, instead of using an agitator post. Look for a model with a water volume under four cubic feet that uses less than 6.5 gallons water per cubic foot. Some new top-loaders use high-pressure sprayers to agitate and rinse the clothes, cutting down on water use. But they may not clean clothes as effectively as front-loaders, according to Consumer Reports.

Recently, prices have dropped on the new low water-use models, which are also more energy efficient.

Low-water dishwasher. New dishwashers can use less water than washing by hand — if they are operated only when full and if dishes are not rinsed before loading. Hand-rinsing can consume 20 gallons per load. Water-efficient models use on average only four gallons per load, almost 40 percent less than other dishwashers, saving 1,000 gallons of water a year. Look for dishwashers with the Energy Star label. That means it uses 5.6 gallons or less per load. Others use more than eight gallons.

Water treatment cutback: Water softeners consume 15 to 120 gallons for each 1,000 gallons of water used. Reverse osmosis (RO) units waste from two to nine gallons for one RO gallon. If you have water softeners or RO units, turn them off when you go on vacation. Water softeners should only be used when mineral levels in the water are likely to damage pipes. When necessary, use only as much as needed.

Xeriphytic (low-water) plants. The United States Department of Agriculture says low-water plants grow in every region. Hardy examples include succulents and narrow-leafed evergreens, which can do well even in humid climates. For regional recommendations, visit the Natural Resources Conservation Service online.

Harvest rainwater. Kids ask where does the rain go? You can answer that question by harvesting water for use later. Simple systems use gutters, downspouts and contoured yards to direct rain to the garden.

To get the most from a downpour, collect rainwater in a barrel. Some systems can cost a thousand dollars and involve pumps, multiple barrels and hoses networked from gutters to garden. But it can be much simpler: Get a 50-60 gallon rainbarrel and connect it to a gutter spout. Most are closed with a lid or tightly screen at the top. You can  prevent mosquito infiltration by using a biological mosquito control (mosquito “dunks”).

One well-reviewed heavy plastic barrel is the Achla RB-01 Rain Catcher Water Barrel for $100-$160. It holds 54 gallons, has a flat back to fit snuggly against a house and includes a debris screen, watering hose, connections for multiple barrels and its safe design keeps kids and animals from falling in. But there are many other models available; some are even made of recycled plastic or are re-purposed bulk food containers.

Trickle irrigation. Use a trickle or drip irrigation system instead of a sprinkler. Water loss through evaporation is minimal because the water goes directly to the roots. A drip system requires a few valves, a filter, automatic timer, tubing and water emitters. It may sound complicated, but it’s not, nor is it expensive. But it needs occasional maintenance to make sure the emitters aren’t clogged.

Low-water car wash. Patronize a commercial car wash that recycles water used at the site or sends used water to a treatment plant. It can be the most low-water way to wash your vehicle.

The desert-based Arizona Dept. of Water Resources, explains commercial washing, as follows:

• Self service washes use roughly 12 gallons per car. Water lost to evaporation and carryout (what’s left on the car when it leaves) account for 20 percent of water used. Look for facilities that use low-flow spray wand nozzles that shut off when not in use.

• Automatic washes that convey a car through the wash use 44 gallons per wash with17 percent lost to evaporation and carryout.

• Automatic washes that rotate the washing equipment around a stationary vehicle use about 72 gallons per wash — 33 percent from evaporation and carryout.

If you self-wash, try using a waterless car wash, such as Eco Touch ($10 for a  24-oz. bottle that cleans and shines up to six washes).

For a water wash, do it on grass or dirt, which works as a filter and reuses the water as irrigation. A mild soapy solution will not harm the lawn. Use a bucket and a nozzle or water wand with an automatic shut-off.  Nozzles cost $5-$20; wands start at about $10.

Pool sense. Cover pools and spas to reduce evaporation, which can account for thousands of gallons a year. A cover that doubles as a security barrier can cost more than $1,000, but a simple evaporation barrier costs $100-$200.

Of course, water runs through nearly everything we consume. Decreasing the slurp any individual takes means buying goods that are produced responsibly.  Fruit and vegetables grown with pesticides and fertilizers that pollute water and beef raised in water-wasting Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) all drive up our personal water consumption levels exponentially.  The best way to control that factor is to know where things originate. Make a habit of asking merchants where things come from.

One last thing you can do: monitor your water use. An easy way to assess it is to pay attention to your water bill. If it spikes unexpectedly, you may have a leak, and you should check for it. The repair may be as simple as replacing a washer. That can save you some water, and some money.

(Kate Nolan writes about the environment and health in Phoenix. She worked formerly as a reporter for The Arizona Republic; managing editor at Phoenix New Times and editor at Playboy.)

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