For many residents of the Western states, ongoing drought has become a common concern. In 2021, even states in the Midwest were facing water supply issues. Just last year in Minnesota, over 40% of the state was experiencing extreme drought.
When these issues arose, government officials asked residents to limit their water use. Here we’ve outlined five of the ways that Minnesota residents were asked to conserve water. The goal was to reduce water use from its drought-period levels, which ranged from 52 gallons of water per day for the average Minnesotan to 94 gallons of water per day for those who live in the Twin Cities area. Even if you aren’t living in an area experiencing drought, these tips will help you reduce your water use at home, and lower your overall water bill.
1. Stop watering lawns. If you have to water, do it in the early morning (around 5 AM is ideal) when water is least likely to evaporate. Water usage is the summer is two to three times higher than use in the winter, largely because of lawn irrigation.
2. Take shorter showers. According to Carmelita Nelson, water conservation consultant with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, showers should be limited to five minutes or less. It’s also a good options to shower every other day if you aren’t sweating much during the day. This can save 10 gallons or more per day.
3. Use the dishwasher. If you have a high efficiency dishwasher, it is smarter to run it than to wash dishes by hand. While HE dishwashers use approximately 4-5 gallons per load, hand washing that amount of dishes would take at least double that amount of water. Other high efficiency appliances, such as clothes washers, can also decrease your water use.
4. Install a low-flow, modern toilet. If your toilet is older than 1980 (check the date on the inside of the tank), it likely uses about 5-8 gallons of water per flush. Modern toilets use closer to 1 gallon per flush.
5. Install a rain barrel. A rain barrel will collect water that you can use to water your plants. It’s a great way to recycle water that would normally run straight into the ground. You can also collect used water in your sink from washing vegetables and fruits and use that to water your outdoor plants.
These are just a few of the ways that you can conserve water in your home, whether your state is experiencing a drought or not. If you want to find out how much water your household uses, and learn additional ways to save water, check out HomeWaterWorks’ water calculator. We all have a duty to better use our limited water supply, and can do so by making some simple, efficient changes to our own water use.
About Aqua Bio Technologies, LLC
Founded in 2010, Darien, Illinois-based Aqua Bio Technologies is a leading provider of innovative biologic restoration, water reclaim, rain harvest, odor control and reverse osmosis (RO) systems. None of its solutions use ozone, UV, or chemicals of any kind to control odor – only nature. As the manufacturer of the first vehicle wash industry closed-loop water treatment system, the company is able to deliver a substantial savings in time and money to its customers with dramatic reductions is water and sewer costs.
For more information about Aqua Bio and how our systems are designed to save you and your car wash a ton of money by reusing 100% of the water collected contact us today.
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