How can we conserve water without affecting our lifestyle? It's easy - read on and just follow the simple tips in this fact sheet.
"All the following tips will assist with water conservation. However the lawn and garden can be the biggest drain on water supplies during hot weather when they are needed most. Please read this section and be sensible with your water use in the garden/lawn."
Outside The House
The Lawn
A lawn can use more water per square metre than any other area in your garden.
- Water your lawn only when it needs it. A good way to test this is to step on the grass. If it springs back up when you move it doesn't need watering and if it stays flat it needs watering.
- Deep soak your lawn. While giving the lawn a quick drink every night may be good therapy for you, it makes the grass shallow rooted and dependent on the meagre amount of water that you provide. Water a maximum of twice a week, but for a longer period and this enables the roots to become deeper rooted. This enables it to go deeper to seek out any moisture which in turn makes the grass hardier.
- Reduce lawn area. This has the additional benefit of reducing your mowing.
- Check your local nursery for a suitable drought tolerant lawn grass for your area.
- Let the lawn go brown during very dry times. When the rain comes the transformation from brown to green will be dramatic.
- Give the lawn a feed but do not over fertilise.
- Aerate the soil to allow water to be absorbed more easily.
- Do not mow to a height of less than 2cm. Taller grass holds water better.
- Use a timer with your sprinkler. A forgotten sprinkler wastes more than a 1000 litres per hour. A timer will allow you to use as much water as is needed wiyhout the threat of wastage.
The Garden
- Use a good mulch. Mulches can pevent up to 73% evaporation loss. It can also prevent excessive runoff, restrict weed growth, improve soil structure and help put valuable nutrients back into the soil.
- Group plants according to how much water they require. By grouping plants by water usage you can avoid waste on plants that don't need alot of water.
- Toughen up the plants. Too many plants are pampered to the point where they are so dependent on water that they do not go out of their way to find any water themselves. Wait until the soil dries out before watering and use a plant such as bamboo as an indicator. When the leaves start to droop, then water.
- Water the highest parts of the garden first. This ensures that any runoff water soaks into lower dry areas rather than being wasted.
- Remove weeds. Weeds compete for water and nutrients.
- Dig a small trench around the trees. This will give the water a chance to soak in and reduces water lost as runoff.
- Water your pot plants by dunking them in a bucket of water. Wait a few seconds, when the bubbles disappear, do the next pot. This saves water and ensures pot plants get a thorough drink.
- Water during cooler parts of the day. Avoid watering on windy days.
- Water the roots not the leaves. If you water the leaves water is lost through evaporation, and any chlorine in the water could damage the leaves.
- Don't water the road or pathways. Position your sprinklers so water lands on the lawn or garden, not on paved areas.
- Plant drought resistant native trees and plants. Many natives are both attractive and suited to gardens, and thrive with far less watering than do other species.
- Water wisely to avoid runoff. Soil and dissolved nutrients are carried away with runoff, which increases the need for expensive fertiliser and can pollute nearby streams.
- Use a trigger hose. This allows you to be in control and water is not wasted when moving the hose around. Always remember to turn the tap off when finished in case the pressure build-up causes the nozzle to pop off.
The Yard
- Discourage games with the hose and sprinklers. Squirting water around can waste up to 1000 litres per hour.
- Use a broom not a hose to clean driveways and footpaths. Cleaning a path with a broom is quicker and more efficient than using a hose, which can waste up to 1000 litres per hour.
- Every home should have a compost bin. Compost improves the structure of your soil. This increases the moisture holding capacity of sandy soils and allows better penetration of water into heavy clay soils.
Swimming Pool
- Cover your pool to reduce evaporation, retain warmth and keep out leaves and dirt. Up to 200 litres of water per day can be lost because of evaporation from a typical inground pool.
- Accept some fluctuation in pool level due to evaporation and rainfall. They will often compensate for each other, meaning topping up with the hose can be avoided.
- Check the pool for leaks.
Washing the Car, Boat or Caravan
- Use a bucket and sponge to wash the car, boat or caravan. Use the hose only for rinsing and turn it off between rinses.
- Wash the car, boat or caravan on the lawn instead of on the driveway.
  Inside The House
In the Bathroom:
- Install a dual flush toilet. Modern toilets give the option to flush either half or all the cistern's water. Traditional toilets can usually be converted to dual flush.
- Take shorter showers. Limit showers to the time it takes to soap up, wash down, and rinse off. Remember that shorter showers also save on hot water costs.
- Install a water-saving shower rose. Many showers put out 20 litres of water per minute, however, 10 litres is enough for a refreshing, cleansing shower.
- There is no need to run water down the plughole while brushing your teeth. Just wet your brush and fill a glass for rinsing.
- Don't rinse your razor under a running tap. Fill the sink with a little warm water for rinsing. This is just as effective as running water and far less wasteful.
In the Laundry
- Make sure the washing machine's load adjustment is right for the load. If there's no load adjustment, wait until you have enough clothes for a full load. Washing machines use 100 - 200 litres of water per load.
- Front loading machines are generally more efficient than top loaders and save water and power. Also use the sud-saver option when several loads have to be washed.
In the Kitchen
- When washing dishes by hand, don't rinse them under a running tap. If you have two sinks, fill the second one with rinsing water. If you have only one sink, stack washed dishes in a dish rack and rinse them with a pan of hot water.
- Don't run the automatic dishwasher until you have a full load.
- Don't let the tap run when cleaning vegetables. Just rinse them in a plugged sink or a pan of clean water.
- Keep a bottle of drinking water in the refrigerator. Running the tap until the water is cool enough to drink is wasteful.
- Aerating taps are inexpensive and can reduce water flow by 50%.
- When cooking, use only a little water in the saucepan and keep the lid on.
- Garbage disposal units use about 30 litres of water per day and send a lot of extra rubbish into the sewers. This places an additional load on the sewage treatment plants. Perhaps some of your food scraps could be used in the garden.
- When buying a new appliance that uses water, be sure it has a high water conservation rating.
Hot Water Pipes and Systems
- Insulate hot water pipes. This avoids wasting water while waiting for hot water to flow through and saves power.
- Make sure your hot water system thermostat is not set too high. Adding cold water to cool too hot water is wasteful.
- If you have a spa, ensure it is well insulated to keep water warm for longer. Reheating the water during the reticulation/spa process reduces water wastage.
Check For Leaks
- If you have a water meter, turn all taps off before you go to bed one night and take a meter reading. Check the meter the next morning before any water is used. If the meter reading has advanced, and no-one used any water during the night, you may have a leaking pipe, tap or toilet cistern. Locate the problem and repair it.
- A slow drip from a tap can waste more than 200 litres of water per day. Turn taps off properly and check washers for wear.
- A continuously running toilet can waste more than 16,000 litres of water per year. To check for leaks put a little food colouring in the tank. If without flushing, the colouring begins to appear in the bowl, the cistern should be repaired immediately.
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