The Palisadian-Post has partnered with locally founded environmental organization Resilient Palisades to deliver a weekly “green tip” to our readers. This week’s tip was written by Sheda Morshed and Ryan Craig.
In the third installment of our June water conservation series, we present five easy steps Palisadians can take to reduce their water footprint at home.
Our region is in an unprecedented drought. Our water agency, LADWP, imports over 80% of its water from two main freshwater sources that are at historically shallow depths: the Colorado River Basin and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. We need to adapt to the impacts of climate change, and there’s no better place to start than at home.
LADWP has identified our community as one of the highest water-users in Los Angeles. So let’s change our legacy, before it’s too late. Let’s commit to conserve by reconsidering our relationship to freshwater from a natural ecosystem that’s pumped hundreds of miles to our taps. Let’s give this dwindling resource the respect it deserves.
This is not hyperbole. This is not a drill.
Here are just five easy ways to do better at home:
- In Los Angeles, outdoor watering accounts for over half of residential water use. Speak with your gardener about water conservation in your garden: replace your lawn with a low-water alternative, limit overhead sprinklers per the new LADWP guidelines, and replace hosing of driveways and other hard surfaces with brooms or electric-blowers. In the November 8, 2021, Green Tip, Bart Lynn explained that running a hose at full blast for only 10 minutes uses an average of 40 gallons of water.
- In the kitchen, rest your hands and use a dishwasher instead: An Energy Star-certified dishwasher can use as little as three gallons per load while hand washing the same load can use a whopping 27 gallons, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.
- Update old toilets, dishwashers, washing machines and faucets to water-efficient alternatives (or install free LADWP aerators on existing faucets). According to LADWP, water-efficient appliances can reduce water use by more than 11,000 gallons per year; rebate-eligible toilets use about 30% less water than older models. Take advantage of LADWP’s residential rebates, including $500 for high-efficiency washing machines and $250 for water-efficient toilets.
- Install a pool or hot tub cover. According to the EPA, a cover can prevent up to 95% of water evaporation.
- Fix those leaks. According to the EPA, a leaky faucet that drips at the rate of one drip per second can waste more than 3,000 gallons per year; a showerhead leaking at 10 drips per minute can waste more than 500 gallons per year; and a leaking irrigation system can waste about 6,300 gallons of water per month.
What’s on tap for you this summer? Let us know how you and your family are taking steps to reduce your water footprint. We’re all in this together, so please do your part.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to remove information about drip irrigation and direct tree-watering being excluded from LADWP’s water restrictions. Drip irrigation falls under the same time allotment as water-conserving nozzles, according to the LADWP website. Hand watering is allowed any day before 9 a.m. or after 4 p.m., according to LADWP, as long as the hose is equipped with a self-closing water shut-off device.
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