Plug up the sink or use a wash basin if washing dishes by hand. You can also capture your rinse water for use in your landscape as grey water. If you use a dishwasher, make sure it's fully loaded! And be sure to scrape your plate instead of rinsing it before loading it into the dishwasher - ideally into a compost pile if not the trash.
Keep a pitcher of drinking water in the refrigerator instead of letting the faucet run until the water is cool. Alternatively, keep a small bucket in your sink to capture the water while you wait for it cool and then use it on your houseplants or for your pet's water bowl.
Take shorter showers. Every minute you leave the shower running unnecessarily, you’re wasting over 2 gallons of water as well as energy. Take it step further by placing a bucket in the shower to catch any excess water - you will be surprised at how quickly it fills up. The collected water can then be used in your outdoor landscape.
"If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, flush it down." When you have to go Number 1, skip the flush a few times - nobody will you judge you and we'll all save water by consolidating Number 1 toilet flushes!
Avoid running the faucet to defrost frozen foods. Or, if you do, be sure to capture the water in a basin or bucket and use in for your houseplants or outdoor landscape.
Turn the tap off while brushing your teeth, shaving and washing hands. It might not seem like a lot, but consider Santa Fe County's population of over 150,000 - the effort among all of us can really add up!
Tools to Help You Save Water
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Wasted water is one of the most common problems we can work together to fix.
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To report water waste please call 505-955-4222
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