Water Conservation

Water your lawn only when it needs water. Test by stepping on the grass. If the grass springs back up when you move, the lawn doesn't need 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 longer. This enables the roots to grow deeper, which makes your lawn 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.
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 2 centimetres. Taller grass holds water better.
Use a timer with your sprinkler. A forgotten sprinkler wastes more than a 1000 litres per hour.

Use a good mulch. Mulch can prevent up to 73% evaporation loss. It can also prevent excessive run-off, restrict weed growth, improve soil structure and help put valuable nutrients back into the soil.
Group plants according to how much water they require, to avoid wasting water on plants that don't need it.
Toughen up your plants. Wait until the soil dries out before watering. Use a plant such as bamboo as an indicator. When the leaves start to droop, water.
Water the highest parts of the garden first, so that run-off water soaks into lower dry areas.
Remove weeds. Weeds compete for water and nutrients.
Dig small trenches around trees. These give water a chance to soak in, reducing water lost as run-off.
Water your pot plants by dunking them in a bucket of water. Wait a few seconds and when the bubbles disappear, do the next pot.
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.
Position your sprinklers so that water lands on the lawn or garden, not on paved areas.
Plant drought-resistant native trees and plants. Many natives thrive with far less watering than other species.
Water wisely to avoid run-off. Soil and dissolved nutrients are carried away with run-off.
Use a trigger hose, so that you are in control. Remember to turn the tap off when finished in case pressure build-up causes the nozzle to pop off.

Discourage games with the hose and sprinklers.
Use a broom rather than a hose to clean driveways and footpaths.
Use a compost bin. Compost increases the moisture-holding capacity of sandy soils and allows better penetration of water into heavy clay soils.

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 through evaporation from a typical in-ground pool.
Accept some fluctuation in pool level. Evaporation and rainfall often compensate for each other, and topping up with the hose can be avoided.
Check the pool for leaks.

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.

Install a dual flush toilet, which allows you to flush either half or all of the cistern's water. Traditional toilets can usually be converted to dual flush.
Take shorter showers.
Install a water-saving shower rose. Many showers put out 20 litres of water per minute, but 10 litres per minute is enough.
Don’t leave the tap running while brushing your teeth.
Don't rinse your razor under a running tap. Fill the sink with a little warm water for rinsing.

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. Use the sud-saver option when you have several loads.

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, to avoid running the tap until the water is cool enough to drink.
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.
Avoid using a garbage disposal unit. These use about 30 litres of water per day and send a lot of extra rubbish into the sewers.
When buying a new appliance that uses water, be sure it has a high water conservation rating.

Insulate hot water pipes.
Make sure your hot water system thermostat is not set too high. Adding cold water to cool hot water is wasteful.
If you have a spa, ensure it is well insulated to stay water warm for longer. Reheating the water during the reticulation/spa process reduces water wastage.

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.