Tips for Saving Water During the Drought Emergency

It’s official: California is in a drought emergency due to lack of rain.

While all this winter sunshine and record-breaking warm weather has been great for beach scenes and sunsets on our social medial accounts, California faces a serious problem with no rain in the extended forecast as a high-pressure system holds strong above us.

Gov. Jerry Brown declared a drought emergency in San Francisco today and is asking people, businesses and government agencies to reduce water consumption by 20 percent.

“We can’t make it rain, but we can be much better prepared for the terrible consequences that California’s drought now threatens, including dramatically less water for our farms and communities and increased fires in both urban and rural areas,” Brown said at a news conference from his San Francisco office. “I’ve declared this emergency and I’m calling all Californians to conserve water in every way possible.”

Tips for saving water indoors:

Kitchen

• Collect the water you use while rinsing fruit and vegetables. Use it to water house plants.

• Cook food in as little water as possible. This also helps it retain more nutrients.

• Select the proper pan size for cooking. Large pans may require more cooking water than necessary.

• Don’t use running water to thaw food.   Defrost food in the refrigerator.

Bathroom

• Take five minute showers instead of 10 minute showers. Save:  12.5 gallons with a low flow showerhead, 25 gallons with a standard 5.0 gallon per minute showerhead.

• Turn water off when brushing teeth or shaving. Save: Approximately 10 Gallons/Day

• Turn off the water while washing your hair and save up to 150 gallons a month.

• When washing your hands, turn the water off while you lather.

• Take a (short) shower instead of a bath. A bathtub can use up to 70 gallons of water.

Read more on the Save Our Water campaign website.

What are you doing to conserve water? Leave more tips in our comments section.