Over the past few months, we’ve all heard talk of how Florida has been in a drought. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor report shows that 24 percent of Florida is experiencing moderate drought conditions.
About 5 percent is in a "severe drought," and 33 percent of the state is "abnormally dry". There are a few more weeks left in the Florida dry season. While the radar is becoming more active day by day, the parched spots of the state need more than a brief downpour to bust the current drought conditions. It’s more important than ever that we reduce our water use, not just today, but all year long.
Here are some things you can do:
- Only run your washing machine and dishwasher when they are full.
- Use the shortest clothes washing cycle for lightly soiled loads. Normal and permanent-press wash cycles use more water.
- Thaw food in the refrigerator or microwave, not under running water or a “water bath”.
- Scrape, do not rinse your dishes before loading them in the dishwasher.
- Install high-efficiency appliances, shower heads, faucets and low-flow toilets.
- Check your home’s irrigation system for leaks and make repairs as needed.
- Turn off your automatic irrigation system and only water as needed. Heed any water restrictions by your city or county.
- Do not leave sprinklers or garden hoses unattended. A garden hose can pour out six hundred gallons of water in just a few hours.
- Use a hose with a shut-off nozzle when washing the car and wash the car over a pervious area such as a lawn.
- Consider installing a rain barrel with a drip irrigation system for watering your landscaping. Rainwater is free and better for your plants because it doesn’t contain hard minerals.
And, did you know?
- It takes about 20 gallons of water to produce a pint of beer
- Average household leaks account for nearly 10,000-gallons of water wasted every year.
- Watering your plants and lawn in multiple short sessions supplies better absorption and avoids runoff
- It takes seven and a half years for the average American home to use the same amount of water that flows over the Niagara Falls in one second (750,000 gallons)
- 97% of the world’s water is salty, 2% is trapped in ice, leaving only 1% for human consumption!