Conserving Water
TIP – Strategic Planting: Save flowers and plants that require a good supply of water for flatter ground. The earth in sloped terrain doesn’t do a great job of holding on to water, and this can leave you watering the foliage that you plant there far too often… and sometimes without even getting good results!
For added greenery in these areas, opt instead for cacti, moss, and other forms of groundcover that won’t place such high demands on your water bill. Adding plants of this kind to sloped terrain will also help prevent soil erosion over time!
TIP – Keep A Truly Green Lawn: Gone are the days in which we could dump as much water as we wanted onto our lawns, and combine it with chemical fertilizers to have a lawn so thick and green that it almost didn’t look natural. The hike in water prices in recent years alone forbids this, but an increasing number of municipalities are instituting bylaws that give people assigned days during which they can water their lawns… and fines if they do not comply! Let your lawn become a more natural green.
 | Conserving WaterShoreland Best Management PracticesNumber 18 of 18 in the Series |
What Are Shoreland BMPs?
Best Management Practices (BMPs) are actions you can take to reduce your impact on the environment. BMPs have been described for agriculture, forest management, and construction. This fact sheet describes BMPs you can adopt on your shoreland property to help protect and preserve water quality. In many cases, the best management for shorelands may be retaining the natural characteristics of your property.
Why Is Conserving Water Important?
Reducing our use of water will decrease water pollution, increase energy savings, and create more efficient use of our water resources. Too much water in an on-site sewage treatment system can flush untreated material through before organisms have a chance to break it down. If untreated material gets to the drainfield, the material can plug up the soil within the drainfield and shorten the life of the septic system. Sending too much water down the drain can also cause systems to "blow out," allowing untreated material to flow out onto the ground. If this occurs, the system needs to be dug up and repaired. Failing septic systems can:
- contaminate drinking wells
- cause health risks such as hepatitis or dysentery
- cause chemical pollution from household cleaning products
- contribute excess nutrients to ground water, lakes, or streams
Conserving water in rural areas will increase the life of existing septic systems. Conserving water within a municipal water system will reduce household expenses, increase treatment plant efficiency, and reduce the amount of electricity and chemicals needed to treat wastewater. In both situations, conserving water protects water quality through improved wastewater treatment.
How Much Water Do We Use?
A typical household of four uses 260 gallons of water each day. Much of this water is used in the bathroom. Toilets use 40% of the total, showers/baths and faucets use 35%. By contrast, 15% is used in the kitchen, and 10% for washing clothes.
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