5% Water Reduction Urged In Horsham Township

HORSHAM TOWNSHIP, PA —With the drought in Montgomery County continuing, the Horsham Water and Sewer Authority is asking all residents and businesses to conserve 5 percent of their water consumption.

The authority said in a Facebook post that it is trying to avoid mandatory water restrictions.

Montgomery County recently instituted a 30-day burn ban due to the drought.

The authority has offered water conservation tips to help residents reach the reduction goal.

WATER CONSERVATION TIPS

INDOORS (According to EPA, over half of all water use inside the home takes place in the bathroom.)

BATHROOM

• Don’t use the toilet as a wastebasket and avoid unnecessary flushes.
• Don't let the water run while brushing teeth, using a cup of water for rinsing.
• When Shaving, full the sink with rinse water rather than leaving the faucet on.
• Install low consumption toilets (save 3-5 gallons per flush).
• Install low-flow aerators and showerheads (save 2-5 gallons per day).
• Take showers instead of baths and keep your shower short. Try turning off the water while soaping or shampooing.
• Take shorter showers (save 5-7 gallons a minute or thousands of gallons per year).
• Consider bathing small children together.
• Fix leaks in your bathroom toilet as soon as you find them. Toilets leaks are the number one cause of high-water bills.

KITCHEN & LAUNDRY

• Only operate washing machines and dishwashers when they are fully loaded.
• Use proper water levels or load selection sizes.
• Install a low-flow aerator on all faucets.
• Pre-rinsing dishes before loading in a dishwasher is unnecessary and wasteful (kitchen faucets use 2 to 3 gallons a minute).
• When purchasing dishwashers and washing machines, consider the water consumption rating.
• Energy efficient appliances use 30% less water.
• Don’t run the water to make it cold, instead have it chill in the refrigerator.
• Wash fruits and vegetables in a basin of water or closed drain – don’t let the water flow from the faucet
• Boil food with the least amount of water required.

OUTDOORS (According to EPA, of the estimated 29 billion gallons of water used daily by households in the US, nearly 9 billion gallons (30 percent) is devoted to outdoor water use.)

• Water your lawn only when necessary.
• Water plants, gardens, and lawn during the coolest part of the day - water before 9AM or after 7PM.
• Learn the amount and frequency of water required for your plants.
• Lawns, Shrubs, Flowers, and most vegetables only need 1” of water per week.
• Avoid watering on windy days.
• Use a broom, not a hose, to clean driveways, steps, and sidewalks.
• 25 gallons of water is wasted for every five minutes of hosing.
• Use an automatic shut-off nozzle on your hose.
• Wash your car less and with water from a bucket. Consider using a commercial car wash that recycles water.
• Use soaker hoses and trickle irrigation systems.
• Install moisture sensors and timers on sprinkler systems.
• Confirm your sprinkler system is directed to only your lawn or garden, avoid water on the street or sidewalk.
• Mulch around shrubs and garden plants to reduce evaporation.
• Plant drought resistant trees, and plants.
• Raise your lawn mower cutting height - longer grass blades help shade each other and cut down on evaporation.
• Eliminate or minimize fertilizer, it requires additional watering.
• Consider a rain barrel.
• Position downspouts so rainwater runs into a garden or onto the grass, not down the driveway.
• Properly set sprinklers to water the lawn or garden, not the street or sidewalk.
• During the winter months, make sure to turn off your outside hose spigot (hose bib), to prevent pipe freezing.
• Avoid or limit the use of recreational water toys.
• Avoid or limit the use of ornamental water features unless they use recycled water.
• Cover your pool to reduce evaporation (save up to 35 gallons a day).
• Lower pool water level to reduce amount of water splashed out.
• Consider a new water-saving pool filter.

LEAKS

• Perform regular checks for water leakage inside and outside of your home or business.
• If you find a leak, repair it immediately.
• Toilet leaks, depending on size can waste 200 gallons of water (or more) a day.
• Use dye tablets or food coloring in the tank of the toilet to find leaks (leaks can be silent, sometimes you cannot see or hear them).
• Monitor irrigation systems for leaks.
• Unattended large leaks can waste up to 2,500,000 gallons a year.
• Large or small, leaks waste significant amounts of water
  • 1/4” loss per day = 11,983 gallons
  • 1/8” loss per day = 3,000 gallons
  • 1/16” loss per day = 750 gallons
  • 1/32” loss per day = 188 gallons

DROUGHT WATCHES and WARNINGS

• Always adhere to the restrictions in effect by State Government Agencies.
• Never use unnecessary water.