Harwich Water Department - Water Conservation & Protection

55 Facts, Figures & Follies of Water Conservation

12. Ultra-low-flush toilets, which may cost from under $100 to over $300, depending on the type purchased, use only about 1.5 gallons of water per flush. That could cut your family's total indoor water use by as much as 20%.
13. Which uses more water, a shower or a tub bath? It all depends. A partially filled tub uses much less than a long shower, while a short shower is much more water efficient than a brimful tub. If you shower in a bathtub, check yourself by plugging the tub to see how high the water comes when you're finished. Do you use more or less than that amount when you take a bath?
14. Any showerhead now manufactured in the United States is required by law to release no more than 3.2 gallons of water per minute. Super low-flow showerheads that deliver as little as 1.25 gallons per minute, cost anywhere from $5 to $75.
15. Is it possible your toilet has a secret leak? You can test it by putting 10 drops of food coloring in the tank. Don't flush for 15 minutes. If the colored water shows up in the bowl, the tank is leaking.
16. Some people thoughtlessly flush away tissues and other bits of trash in the toilet. Using a wastebasket, instead, will save all those gallons of water that otherwise go wastefully down the drain.
17. If someone in your family likes to shave with water running in the basin, they probably use at least one gallon per minute, most of it wasted. A stoppered basin needs one-half gallon or so of water for adequate razor rinsing.
18. Have you ever heard of showering "The Navy Way"? Because fresh water is relatively scarce on ships, sailors were taught to just get wet, and then turn off the shower while soaping and scrubbing, and turn it on again briefly to rinse off. It's a great water conservation technique.
19. Don't let the water run when you brush your teeth or when washing your face. Most of it will be wasted. Just take what you need and save the rest
20. If everyone in the United States could manage to use just one less gallon of water per shower every day, we could save some 85 billion gallons per year. How do you do it? By keeping the shower pressure lower or by making your showers a few seconds shorter.
21. Fill your dishwasher full because it will use the same amount of water for a normal cycle, whether it contains a full load of dishes or just a few items. Also, there's really no need to fully wash dishes before loading in the dishwasher. Just scrape off food scraps and rinse.
22. Water heaters often are set at 140 degrees. You can save energy by turning the temperature on your water heater down to 130 degrees. Don't go any lower because some harmful bacteria could survive.