Reduce Home Water Use

Save Water!
Americans use a lot of water. In fact, the average American uses more than 100 gallons every day.

Here's how it breaks down. It takes up to:

- 4 gallons to flush the toilet.
- 5 gallons to brush your teeth.
- 15 gallons to run the dishwasher.
- 24 gallons to take a shower or bath; and
- 50 gallons a load to run the washing machine.

Whoa, that's a lot of water!

There's lots of ways to cut back. By replacing standard 4.5 gallon-per-minute showerheads with 2.5 gallon-per-minute heads, a family of four can save up to 20,000 gallons of water a year. Faucet aerators can reduce faucet-water usage by up to 60 percent, while maintaining strong flows. And you can save lots of water by replacing your old dishwasher and washing machine with water-thrifty models.

And be sure to ask your local water supplier if it offers rebates for buying water-efficient appliances. Not only will you save water -- in time the investment will pay off in dollars, too.

Script by Margarita H. Colmenares
Copyright 2007, Catalina Island Conservancy

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