Water
Small changes to your water habits can add up to big savings. Do you know how much water you use and where you can cut back? To help you conserve water, adopt the following tips to live a more conservation-focused lifestyle at home
Water Conservation Tips
Save 16 gallons per nozzle/week
- Water-efficient rotating “finger” stream spray nozzles reduce misting, run off, and evaporation, compared to standard fan-spray nozzles.
- When using water-efficient nozzles, watering 15 mins per station and twice per watering day is allowed. Learn more about our current watering restrictions at ladwp.com/wateringdays.
- Get a rebate of up to $6 per high-efficiency nozzle (minimum 15 nozzles).
The 16 gallons per nozzle/week water savings were calculated based on the following assumptions:
- One inefficient sprinkler head uses 2.5 gallons of water per minute, for a total of 40 gallons each week (running for 8 minutes per watering day, 2 watering days per week).
- One high-efficiency sprinkler nozzle uses 1.5 gallons per minute, for a total of 24 gallons each week (running for 8 minutes per watering day, 2 watering days per week).
40 gallons – 24 gallons = 16 gallons saved per nozzle each week
Saves 80 gallons/week
- Shorten your sprinkler cycles by 2 mins per station each watering day.
- Current watering restrictions allow for 8 mins per station each watering day, unless using water-efficient sprinkler nozzles, which can water for 15 mins per station, twice per watering day. Watering restrictions details: ladwp.com/wateringdays.
- Get a rebate of up to $6 per high-efficiency nozzle (minimum 15 nozzles).
The 80 gallons/week water savings were calculated based on the following assumptions:
- A property has 8 inefficient sprinklers that are scheduled to water for 8 minutes per watering day, 2 watering days per week.
- Inefficient sprinklers each use 2.5 gallons per minute using a total of 320 gallons each week (running 8 sprinkler heads for 8 minutes per watering day, 2 watering days per week).
- Reducing sprinkler watering time to 6 minutes results in a total of 240 gallons each week (running 8 sprinkler heads for 6 minutes per watering day, 2 watering days per week).
320 gallons – 240 gallons = 80 gallons saved each week
Saves 21 gallons/load
- Consider purchasing a new high-efficiency clothes washer, which uses as much as 50% less water than convention top loader models. Older models use up to 60 gallons of water per load.
- Get a $500 rebate on a new high-efficiency clothes washer at our Efficient Product Marketplace.
The 21 gallons water savings were calculated based on the following assumptions:
- A non-efficient clothes washer uses 21 gallons of water per load.
- Two half-loads would use 42 gallons of water.
42 gallons – 21 gallons = 21 gallons saved
Saves 15 gallons/load
- Consider purchasing an efficient dishwasher, which will not only save water but also save on the gas or electricity required to heat the water.
- Shop our Efficient Product Marketplace to find and compare the most efficient dishwashers.
The 15 gallons water savings were calculated based on the following assumptions:
- A non-efficient dishwasher uses 15 gallons of water per load.
- The kitchen faucet flows at a rate of 2 gallons of water per minute.
- A person spending 15 minutes washing the dishes with the water running would use 30 gallons of water (2 gallons per minute, for 15 minutes).
30 gallons – 15 gallons = 15 gallons saved
Saves 10 gallons/shower
- Replace all non-water saving showerheads with water-saving showerheads. Get free low-flow showerheads at ladwp.com/freewcitems.
The 10 gallons water savings were calculated based on the following assumptions:
- A showerhead flows at a rate of 2 gallons of water per minute.
- A 10-minute shower would use 20 gallons of water (2 gallons per minute, for 10 minutes).
- A 5-minute shower uses 10 gallons of water (2 gallons per minute, for 5 minutes).
20 gallons – 10 gallons = 10 gallons saved
Saves 3 gallons/time you brush
Get free bathroom faucet aerators to regulate the flow of water from the sink faucet at http://www.ladwp.com/freewcitems.
The 3 gallons water savings were calculated based on the following assumptions:
A person brushes their teeth for 2 minutes.
The bathroom faucet flows at a rate of 1.5 gallons per minute.
2 minutes x 1.5 gallons per minute = 3 gallons saved
Saves 10,000 gallons/year
The average household leak wastes 10,000 gallons per year.
On average, leaks account for about 5% of a home’s water usage. Depending on the size of the leak, this can be much higher.
Indications of leakage in irrigation include an unexplained rise in water use, poor system performance, dry spots, soggy areas, overgrown areas of turf, and erosion.
Use food coloring to check for leaks in toilets. Place a couple drops in toilet tank. If the coloring begins to appear in the toilet bowl without flushing, you have a wasteful leak that should be repaired at once.
When replacing the toilet flapper valve, make sure to select a model designed for your toilet.
Replace your bathroom and/or kitchen faucet aerators with free, more efficient ones. Order yours now at ladwp.com/freewcitems.
Get a $150 rebate on a leak detection device
Get free toilet leak detection dye tablets at ladwp.com/freewcitems.
The information provided is not intended as a recommendation of any particular product or company. Costs listed are estimates based on typical usage. Actual use may vary based on appliance size, make and model, frequency of use, and other factors.
Follow Current Watering Restrictions and Recommendations
To learn more about current water restrictions, visit ladwp.com/wateringdays
- Limit outdoor watering to just 2 days per week, on your assigned days.
- Purchase and install a pool cover to reduce water loss through evaporation. Under current water restrictions, the use of pool covers is recommended.
- Wash your car at a commercial car wash, instead of at home. Most commercial facilities are more efficient due to water re-use. Under current water restrictions, using a commercial car wash is recommended.
Indoors
- Install a new, water-efficient toilet that uses 1.1 gallons of water or less per flush. Get a $250 rebate on a Premium High-Efficiency toilet.
- Turn off water while shaving. Instead, fill the sink with a little water to rinse razor.
- Replace your kitchen faucet aerator with a more efficient, low-flow one to regulate the flow of water from the kitchen faucet.
- Get free kitchen faucet aerators at ladwp.com/freewcitems.
- Don't let the faucet run while cleaning vegetables. Instead rinse them in a sink full of clean water.
- Don’t leave the water running when washing or rinsing dishes.
Outdoors
- Complete a turf reduction project, which includes removing turf and planting a California Friendly® landscape with drip water system, and get a rebate of up to $5 per square foot.
- Learn how you can swap your turf for drought-tolerant landscaping at a free, DIY hands-on Lawn Be Gone Workshop.
- Request a free, professionally prepared design for a drought-tolerant garden through our Turf Replacement Design Services program.
- Avoid over watering and runoff. Adjust sprinklers to water the plants, not the pavement. To report water waste, visit ladwp.com/waterwaste.
- Change watering schedule seasonally.
- Use mulch to protect garden soil, limit evaporation, and retain moisture. Free mulch available through LASAN.
- Use a broom instead of the hose to clean driveways and walkways.
A variety of methods ranging from innovative water recycling techniques to simple common sense approaches can lead to substantial water use reduction.
The first step is to determine where your water is being used. List, rank (in terms of volume), and evaluate the various ways in which your water is used.
- Appoint a Water Conservation Manager, making water conservation a part of their regular duties.
- Determine where your water is being used. List, rank, and evaluate the various ways in which you use water so you can look for water saving opportunities.
- Check your water system for leaks.
- Educate and incorporate employees into your program. Once employees start thinking about their water use, water consumption usually decreases.
- Set a water conservation goal. Be realistic, but the goal should be high enough to require substantial effort.
- Post a phone number in the restrooms that employees can call to report water waste such as dripping faucets or running toilets.
- Track the water usage at your site with your meter. Read on a regular basis to monitor how your conservation effort is doing.
- Install low-flow faucet aerators on all plumbing fixtures that do not require high flows.
- Install high efficiency toilets that flush at only 1.28 gallons or less.
- Install waterless urinals or ultra-high-efficiency urinals that flush at 0.125 gallon or less.
- As appliances or fixtures wear out, replace them with water efficient models.
- Reduce load on air conditioning by shutting air conditioning off when and where it is not needed.
- Repair leaking faucets, showers, and continuously running toilets.
- Avoid excessive boiler and cooling tower blowdown, monitor total dissolved solids levels and bleed only when necessary.
- Talk with your cooling tower water treatment company about increasing your “cycles of concentration.” This can save large amounts of water.
- Consider switching from wet or steam carpet cleaning methods to dry powder methods.
- Use a basin of water, whenever possible, instead of allowing water to run continuously. This method can be used for rinsing utensils and dishes, washing vegetables, and thawing foods.
- Use a low-flow pre-rinse spray nozzle for rinsing dishes before they go into the dishwasher or consider scraping them without using any water. Newer pre-rinse spray nozzles use 1/3 less water and work just as well.
- Turn dishwashers off when dishes are not being processed. Wash full loads only.
- Make sure your ice maker is an efficient air-cooled model and not the older water cooled type.
- Make sure your food steamers are the connectionless type. These type of food steamers use considerably less water than the hard-plumbed type.
- Periodically run your irrigation to look for leaks and misaligned sprinkler heads and make repairs in a timely manner.
- Avoid runoff and make sure sprinklers cover just the landscape or garden, not sidewalks, driveways, or gutters.
- Install drip irrigation systems for trees and shrubs.
- Install a Weather Based Irrigation Controller that will give you a daily adjustment on watering times and will not water when it rains.
- Watering should be done at night or early morning when evaporation and wind are at a minimum, and only when needed.
- Design landscapes with water conservation in mind. Limit use of turf and use California-friendly plants.
- Mulch around plants to reduce evaporation and discourage weeds.
- Remove thatch and aerate turf to encourage the movement of water to the root area.
- Infrequent deep watering of grass conserves more water than frequent light watering.
- Use a broom instead of a hose for the washing of walks, driveways and other paved areas.
- If water must be used for wash-down, use a water-conserving Water Broom instead of an unrestricted hose.
- Use a hose, with a shut off spray nozzle attached, when washing down company vehicles. Wash the vehicles only when needed.
- Routing water from operations requiring high quality water to operations that could use a lower quality is called sequential use. Depending on the number of different water-using processes, a substantial amount of water could be conserved by applying this technique.
- Some industrial processes involve a series of rinse tanks to clean components as they proceed from one manufacturing stage to the next. Many operations use the highest quality water for the first rinse tank and the "dirtiest" water in the last tank. This system requires a large flow of water to insure that water quality in the last operation is adequate for rinsing the finished product. By reversing the flow direction in a "counter flow" system, the finished product receives the cleanest rinse water and a lower flow of water is needed.
- Consider reusing reverse osmosis and/or de-ionized waste streams for reuse in cooling towers. The water going to the reverse osmosis process must first have been softened before reuse in the cooling tower could be considered.
| Industry | Water Saving Opportunities |
|---|---|
| Churches | Faucet aerator replacement, toilet and urinal upgrades, high efficiency Clothes washer and irrigation upgrades |
| Governmental Buildings | Faucet aerator and shower head replacement, toilet and urinal upgrades, cooling tower monitoring and irrigation upgrades |
| Healthcare | Faucet aerator and shower head replacement (laminar flow), toilet and urinal upgrades, pre-rinse spray nozzles, cooling tower monitoring, steam sterilizer retrofit, X-ray processor recirculating system, vacuum pump water re-use and Reverse Osmosis reject water re-use |
| Hotel / Motel | Faucet aerator and shower head replacement, toilet and urinal upgrades, pre-rinse spray nozzles, connectionless food steamers, high efficiency clothes water replacement, cooling tower monitoring program, irrigation upgrades |
| Industrial | Faucet aerator replacement, toilet and urinal upgrades, cooling tower monitoring program, reuse waste water in other processes, recirculation of once through water to another process. |
| Office Buildings | Faucet aerator and shower head replacement, toilet and urinal upgrades, cooling tower monitoring and irrigation upgrades |