Saving Water One Drop at a Time

Go Green

  • Did you know washing your car with a traditional hose and bucket uses more than 50 gallons of water.
  • Most people who wash their cars at home don't realize where the contaminated water goes or how much is wasted. Home car washing releases contaminated water directly into the environment or into storm drains intended for rainwater. This causes pollution in our rivers, lakes and streams.
  • Cars that are washed in the street can pollute our rivers and harbors. All the substances you don't want on your car contribute to water pollution. These substances include soaps, detergents, mud, rubber, grease, salts, rust...the list is almost endless. This dirty soap and water that comes off your car at home usually flow down the driveway into a curb inlet or gutter. Curb inlets are designed to drain rainwater from the streets to prevent flooding, but this water does not go to the treatment facility to be cleaned. Storm water, along with any pollutants ends up directly in our lakes, rivers, harbors and oceans.
  • There are approximately 24 million vehicles registered in the state of California alone. If every vehicle was washed once a month using 50 gallons of water, over 14.4 billion gallons of polluted water could enter storm water system every year! And that's just from the stat of California. Imagine the amount of dirty, polluted water would be created by the entire country.
  • Growing cotton uses 22.5 percent of all the insecticides used globally. Growing enough cotton for one t-shirt requires 257 gallons of water.
  • Almost 200 million Americans buy green products.
  • Earth Day is April 22.
  • Two thirds of the water used in a home is used in the bathroom.
  • In a five-minute shower we use 25 to 50 gallons of water.
  • To brush your teeth you use 2 gallons of water.
  • For an automatic dishwasher 9 to 12 gallons of water is used.
  • Adjust sprinklers so only your lawn is watered and not the house, sidewalk, or street.
  • Water your lawn and garden in the morning or evening when temperatures are cooler to minimize evaporation.
  • Use a broom instead of a hose to clean your driveway and sidewalk and save water every time.
  • Shorten your shower by a minute or two and you'll save up to 150 gallons per month.
  • Put food coloring in your toilet tank. If it seeps into the toilet bowl without flushing, you have a leak. Fixing it can save up to 1,000 gallons a month.
  • Use a water-efficient showerhead. They're inexpensive, easy to install, and can save you up to 750 gallons a month.
  • Install an instant water heater near your kitchen sink so you don't have to run the water while it heats up. This also reduces energy costs.
  • Wash your pets outdoors in an area of your lawn that needs water.
  • Turn off the water while you shave and save up to 300 gallons a month.