Water Conservation
What is your household's water footprint?
Find out with Grace Communications Foundation's Water Footprint Calculator!
Find out with Grace Communications Foundation's Water Footprint Calculator!
Water Consumption Information
By simply changing some of your habits, you can help conserve water.
Some common water uses:
What You Can Do To Conserve
In the Bathroom
- Less than 1% of the earth’s water supply is fresh and available for human consumption. There is no "new" water, so please do what you can to conserve our precious resource.
- The average Healdsburg resident uses about 200 gallons of water per day. During the hottest months in July and August, local residents use 300 gallons per day. A large portion of this is used for outdoor irrigation. Every day in our city, we consume a total average of about 2.1 million gallons.
- Every day in the United States, we drink about 110 million gallons of water. The act of showering and bathing accounts for one of the largest uses (27%) of water domestically.
- Nearly 1/2 of the world’s population lacks access to clean water for sanitation, drinking and other human needs.
- You can save up to 5 gallons every day by turning off the faucet while brushing your teeth.
- A leaky faucet can waste 100 gallons a day.
By simply changing some of your habits, you can help conserve water.
Some common water uses:
Activity | Typical Use | When You Conserve |
---|---|---|
Showers | 3-7 gallons/minute | under 2.5 gallons/minute |
Tub Bath | 60 gallons, filled completely | 20-30 gallons, minimal water |
Toilet Flush | 5-7 gallons/flush | 1.3 gallons or less/flush, "low consumption" or "ultra-low flush" |
Washing Hands | 10 gallons with tap running | 1 gallon, fill basin |
Brushing Teeth | 10 gallons with tap running | 1/2 gallon or less, wet brush, rinse briefly |
Shaving | 20 gallons, with tap running | 1 gallon, fill basin |
Washing Machine | 40-60 gallons, full water level | 25 gallons, "tumble efficient" washer |
Automatic Dishwasher | 15 gallons, full cycle | 11 gallons, short cycle |
What You Can Do To Conserve
In the Bathroom
- Replace your old shower head with a good-quality, high-efficiency shower head.
- Check for and repair leaks in your pipes, faucets and toilets.
- Don’t use your toilet as a waste basket. Use a fill cycle regulator to decrease the fill of water into your bowl.
- Only run your dishwasher and washing machines when they are full.
- Instead of running the faucet to wait for cold water, fill a pitcher of water with drinking water and store it in your refrigerator.
- When washing your car, use soap and water from a bucket.
- Use a hose with a shut-off nozzle for the final rinse only.
- Use a broom instead of water from a hose to clean your driveway.
- Landscape with plants that require low water consumption.
- Water your lawn no more than every third day, and only during the cool time of the day in the morning or evening.
- Adjust the sprinklers so only the lawn and plants are being watered, not your house, the sidewalk or the street.
Documents
- Restricciones de Agua y Medidas de Ejecución
- Restricciones de Agua en Efecto
- Water Restrictions and Enforcement Letter - Mailed June 5, 2015
- Mandatory Water Conservation Measures Flyer - Mailed June 9, 2015
- City Council Resolution 62-2015 - Further reduction
- Ordinance 1134 -Water Shortage Emergency Plan (PDF)
- Resolution 8-2014 (PDF)
Other Water Conservation Sites
Residential
- EPA Water Sense
- H2Ouse - Interactive Water Conservation Information and Tips
- Save Our Water Public Education Program
- Sonoma County Master Gardeners - Free Help With Landscape Assessments
- Sonoma County Water Agency Water Conservation Site
- Sonoma Marin Saving Water Partnership 20 Gallon Challenge
Residential