A typical home uses twice as much water outside as inside. Landscaping contributes to a large use of this water. Install a low-water use landscaping called 'Xeriscape' for a green, colorful yard. 'Xeri' comes from the Greek word for 'dry.'
Go Under Cover (your pool that is!) 40 gallons of water evaporates per square foot of open water in the Sierra Vista, Arizona area per year. If a pool is 400 square feet and is uncovered, it could be evaporating 16,000 gallons of water per year! A covered pool can save 15,246 gallons. So, cover it up!
"Harvest" pool backwash for plants when chlorine levels are not greater than 3 ppm.
Sweep Your Sidewalks. You can save 25-50 gallons of good drinking water by using a broom to clean sidewalks and driveways instead of a hose. Hoses can deliver 5 gallons of water a minute!
Check for leaks in Hose Bibs: A leaking faucet can waste more than 73 gallons per day depending on the size of the leak. Turn off the water to the outside faucet- it may be at the meter, or it may be at a main valve shut off to the house. Unfortunately, many outside faucets are not made to have their washers replaced. However, you may be able to pack the stem. Contact your hardware store and ask. If you can't, you will have to replace the whole faucet. Unscrew the faucet from the pipe and replace the faucet with a new one.
Mist Cooling Systems: A typical system uses 2 gallons of water per minute to cool 1,000 square feet of patio area or 720 gallons per 6 hour use, or 21,600 gallons of water each month. Only use the system when using the patio.
Do you wash your car at home? There are waterless car wash products available that can make your car shine like a top! But if you wash with water - put an automatic shut off nozzle on your hose- and make sure it doesn't leak. If it does, it is usually a washer that needs replacing. Grab a bucket and towel, and see if you can keep water from going down your driveway! If your drive is sloped to drain to the side- or if you can wash your car on your lawn or graveled area, use a mild soap so you can water your plants while you wash the car!