Sustainable First Mondays
Water Conservation: It Begins With Us!
Conserve Water in your Garden
From May through September, water use in our region nearly doubles, primarily for lawns and gardens. Experts estimate that 50% or more of this water goes to waste, due to evaporation, runoff, or simply overwatering.
Action Tips...
- Landscape your yard with native, drought-tolerant plants that reduce water use. For a list of plants that thrive in a variety of NW conditions link here.
- Build better soil with compost and mulch. Good soil absorbs water easily, drains well and retains moisture. Mix compost into the soil when planting, and mulch established beds with organic material each year to improve your soil.
- Harvest rainwater! Install a rain barrel to collect and use small amounts, or a cistern for larger amounts. Link here for more information.
- Water early in the morning to avoid excessive evaporation from the midday sun.
- More garden watering conservation tips:
http://www.almanac.com/garden/starting-garden/watering-garden
http://www.cityofbremerton.com/content/wc_conservationgarden.html
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The Washington Native Plant Society is a forum for individuals who share a common interest in Washington’s unique and diverse plant life. For more than 30 years WNPS has been a great source for native plant information and action.
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Saving Water Partnership is a website to help conserve water at home and at work.
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Partnership for Water Conservation: Dedicated to increasing water conservation in the Puget Sound Region.
Books...
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Success with Water-Saving Gardens, by Graham Clarke, Eagle Harbor Book Company.
- Water: a Practical Guide to Using and Conserving Water in the Garden, by Susan McClure, Kitsap Regional Library.
Video...
- Creating a Home Graywater System Follow the water as it drains from the bathroom tub (and sink and laundry) through a unique valve leading into the backyard garden, where it supplies water for plants growing above it.
Conserve Water in your Home
Water conservation has proven successful in reducing supply problems over the long and short terms. By using water efficiently, we are being good stewards of this precious resource.
Action Tips...
- If your toilet predates 2000, replace it with a dual flush or high efficiency toilet, or install a conversion kit for your existing toilet to reduce water usage to current standards - 1.6 gallons. For more information go to www.epa.gov/watersense.
- Install a showerhead that flows at 2.0 gallons per minute (gpm). Link here for more information.
- Retrofit all water-wasteful faucets by installing 1.0 gpm bath aerators and 2.0 gpm kitchen aerators.
- Fix your leaks. Dripping faucets and other leaks can add up to thousands of wasted gallons. Visit: http://savingwater.org/inside_fixLeakWeek.htm.
Rebate Offers for Low-Flush Toilets
On Bainbridge Island, the water billing department gives rebates to install low flow toilets if the customer is on their sewer system: $100 per toilet or half of the cost of a new toilet. Call City Hall at 842-7633 or go to www.ci.bainbridge-isl.wa.us/utility
Through the “Saving Water Partnership”, the Kitsap Public Utility District currently only offers free low-flow toilets or $100 per-toilet rebate to apartment complexes or condo associations. For assistance, contact Billie Fisher at billie.fisher@seattle.gov or (206) 615-1282
Organizatons...
- Saving Water Partnership is a website to help conserve water at home and at work.
- Partnership for Water Conservation is dedicated to increasing water conservation in the Puget Sound Region.
- Water- Use it Wisely- 100 plus ways to conserve.
Books...
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Water, Use Less--Save More : 100 Energy-saving Tips for the Home, by Jon Clift, Kitsap Regional Library.
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Reusing the Resource: Adventures in Ecological Wastewater Recycling, by Carol Steinfeld, Kitsap Regional Library.
Make Small Changes to your Daily Routine
By making conscious and deliberate choices with your water usage, you can save thousands of gallons a year within your own household.
- Take short showers instead of baths. Showers usually save 40 gallons of water over baths. Shorten your shower by 1 minute and remember to turn the water off while brushing your teeth, shaving, etc.
- Your toilet is NOT a trash can. Disposing of trash down toilets can lead to sewer overflows and backups that can cause harm to human health and our local environment. Flush only toilet paper. Use the trash can for everything else.
- Scrape grease and food scraps from cooking surfaces into a container and compost or put in the trash. Over time, grease build-up can block pipes and cause sewage backups. Link here to find out what goes where!
- Be sure all your soaps, shampoos and detergents are free of sulfates & phosphates. Both chemicals suffocate oxygen levels in the water and contribute to algae blooms.
- Link here for small and large investments you can make to conserve water.
- Link here for no cost water-saving tips.
Get Involved Locally
- Read the Bainbridge Island Ground Water Report. Link here.
- The Bainbridge Island Watershed Council is an all-volunteer group of citizens concerned about the health and integrity of Bainbridge Island's Watersheds. They meet monthly and welcome your participation.
- Get invloved with the new Water Resource Action Committee. Contact info@sustainablebainbridge.net and we will forward your email to the organizers.