Saskatchewan Water Conservation Plan

Click here to download the Saskatchewan Environmental Society "Water Use In Your Home" booklet.

Conserving Water Doesn't Have To Be Costly!

• Fill your bathtub only one-quarter full when bathing, or try to limit your shower time to five minutes or so.
• Check your water meter. If you don't have water running in your home but the meter is moving, you may have a leak somewhere.
• Keep a bottle of drinking water in the refrigerator, rather than letting the tap run until the water is cold. Just make sure to rinse out the bottle every few days.
• Try to not let the tap run unnecessarily, such as when you are brushing your teeth, shaving, or rinsing dishes.
• Use the short cycle on your dishwasher. The full cycle uses anywhere between 40 to 54 litres of water, while the short cycle uses about 32 litres. And make sure the dishwasher is full each time you start it.
• Only run your washing machine when it is full, or adjust the load size setting on the machine to the correct fill level. Also, use the short cycle or "suds-saver" option if you have it, as the normal and permanent press cycles use more water. Consider using a front load washer as they use less water than traditional top loading models.
• Water your lawn earlier in the morning, after the dew has dried. More than 50 percent of the water applied to lawns and gardens is lost to evaporation during peak temperatures, or to runoff from overwatering.
• Not only is rainwater free, but grasses and other plants love it. A cistern or rainwater barrel is a great alternative to watering from the tap.
• If you have a pool, cover it up when you aren't using it. A pool cover helps reduce evaporation and the need to regularly top up your pool's water level. Without a cover, more than half the water in your pool can evaporate over a year.
• Wash your car with a bucket and a sponge rather than with a hose or pressure-washer. This can save up to 300 litres of water every time!
• Remember, simply being aware of how much water you use and taking simple steps to reduce consumption is the most effective water conservation measure out there.

Conserving Water In The Home

• Check your taps regularly. A leak of only one drop per second can waste about 10,000 litres of water a year - that could fill about 85 bathtubs.
• Make sure your toilet doesn't continue to run after you flush it. A running toilet wastes up to 200,000 litres of water a year.
• Replacing an 18-litre per flush toilet with a 6-litre per flush model can cut your household water use by about 30 percent, or about 80,000 litres of water per year for a family of four.
• Using a low-flow showerhead can cut the water typically used by conventional showerheads - which have flow rates of up to 15 to 20 litres per minute - approximately in half. That can save you 50 litres or more every time you shower.
• Buy a showerhead with a shut-off button which lets you temporarily cut the flow while soaping or shampooing.

Conserving Water Outdoors

• Landscape your yard with plants that do not require significant amounts of watering. Known as xeriscaping, this practice involves options such as reducing the amount of lawn by substituting grassed areas for shrubs and trees. Another good option is to use native grasses and plants, which require less watering than non-native species.
• Lawn sprinklers that lay water down in a flat patter are more effective than oscillating sprinklers, which can lose as much of 50 percent of the flow they disperse through evaporation.
• Consider installing a drip irrigation system for your outside watering needs. It will cut waste by making sure the water goes only where you need it.

Sources:
Environment Canada’s Freshwater website (www.ec.gc.ca/water/)
Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment, Water Usage Around the Home
Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment, Water Saving Outside the Home