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Design Dilemma
edubya

Drought Measures and Saving Water

Emily H
10 years ago
Here in California, we've had a lot less rainfall and snow than we usually do, and as a result we've been told we are officially in a drought. Have you now or in the past taken any measures to conserve more water at home? What have you done or what are you planning to do?

Share your experience! (photos encouraged)

Contemporary Landscape · More Info
Featured Answer
  • ladycreative
    10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago
    In Africa, water is very expensive and living on an Island surrounded by seawater, I decided to invest in more swimming pool pipes, I have connected these to the outlet pipes of my washing machine as well as the bath tubs, this water then runs out onto my lawn which keeps my lawn green and saves water and money.
    I also bought 3 large rainwater tanks which I had installed so when it rains the water from my house gutters run into the rainwater tanks, this water I use to keep my swimming pool topped up as well as watering my plants in the garden. Rain water tanks are a great investment when it comes to saving water and money.

    Fortunately I have not had any problems with water that has been recycled from the tubs or showers, I will say that Im happy to report that I do not have any ants eating up my lawn, I have used this method to water my lawn for the last 8 years without having pests such as ants. In Africa we do not use air conditioners as they use a large amount of electricity we use ceiling fans which use very little electricity. When it comes to my garden plants they are quite happy with shower and tub water, when the rainwater tanks are running low.

    Comments (13)

    • PRO
      Control My Pad
      10 years ago
      I was able to change all of my sprinkler heads out to Multi-Stream PRN Lawn Sprinklers (that may be a brand name, but they are the rotating stream kind used to cover large areas. These seem to be a smaller variety for residential use, and even though they spray quite a distance you can tune your pressure for that zone to try and keep the water off of the sidewalk. So I have now rid myself of the water-wasting, traditional, misting sprinklers and all of the concrete around my lawns is virtually dry after watering the lawn! Also a good experiment is to try dialing back how much you water, skip a day or set shorter cycles, until you see signs of dryness. It could be you are just giving it water it won't use and you'd be surprised what just the morning dew supplies. I forgot, I also opted for an internet connected sprinkler controller with local water-sensor shut-off for when it rains.
      Emily H thanked Control My Pad
    • Luke Buckle
      10 years ago
      In Australia, we had some severe water restrictions in the past few years which prompted me to start recycling my washing machine water to use to water plants. This, of course, educated me about buying more ecologically safe detergents free of phosphates etc. Now, i use soap nuts, but that's a point for another thread. ;)
      Emily H thanked Luke Buckle
    • PRO
      Tim Knowles Landscape Architect
      10 years ago
      Be careful using recycled water from house pipes (especially the shower or tub) because many municipalities in the U.S. consider this "brown water" and unsafe to use. Rain barrels have been mentioned. If you have an air conditioner with a condensation line, tap this line because it is a great source for a continuous flow of water. If you have plants that do not survive, try replacing them with native, water-wise plants. Look up "xeriscape" and you will see some great ideas on how to landscape with water conserving plants.
      Emily H thanked Tim Knowles Landscape Architect
    • PRO
      Studio M Interior Design
      10 years ago
      Water once a week or as city ordinances permit and be sure that you're maximizing your water use by not watering sidewalks or mulch. It may help to just hand water for awhile with a garden hose instead of sprinklers. Also, if you garden it may help to rinse your produce and reuse the water for your plants. A great way to achieve this is with a bucket and a strainer. Reduce, reuse, recycle! :)
      Emily H thanked Studio M Interior Design
    • shionan
      10 years ago
      We have been on water restrictions in Colorado for a couple of years. We were only allowed to water lawns two times a week; before 10:00 a.m. and after 6:00 p.m. on our designated days. A lot of my plants are drought tolerant and don't need a lot of water to stay alive. We also only started the dishwasher when it was completely full, reduced shower time, brushed teeth without leaving the water running (which is what we were doing anyway). We don't really have a lot of grass at our new house due to the fact that we seem to always been on water restrictions and didn't want it to die because we couldn't water it enough.
      Emily H thanked shionan
    • PRO
      Cancork Floor Inc.
      10 years ago
      Watering after the sun has set is your BIGGEST form of savings when it comes to lawn and plant maintenance. Even if you restrict the watering to morning and evenings, you are still throwing away as much as 30% due to immediate evaporation into the air because the ground is too warm. Limitting your watering to only 2-3 nights per week and only using an hour or two of water at a time. Moving to bark mulch whenever possible. Mulch holds a tremendous amount of water that it releases over days.
      Low flush toilets (6 gallons or less) can save as much as 30% of home water use. Using washing machines at maximum capacity is an excellent option. Dishwashers run every two days is a great way to keep things in perspective...and remove the "heat drying" cycle. This cost electricity (hydo electric is everywhere) AND it can help add humidity to the home - simply by openning the dishwasher and letting the steam out. This extra humidity means your homes humidifier doesn't have to work quite so hard either.
      Emily H thanked Cancork Floor Inc.
    • PRO
      EasyTurf
      10 years ago
      You've seen the 80's info-mercial for "hair club for men," right? The one with the old guy saying, "But not only am I the Hair Club President, I'm also a client." Well, not only do I work at EasyTurf, but I've got an EasyTurf lawn. I use close to 70 percent less water now that I'm not watering my real-grass yard anymore.
      Cheers!
      George
      Emily H thanked EasyTurf
    • Emily H
      Original Author
      10 years ago
      ha! My neighbors put in a turf lawn and we were all skeptical when they did it, and now we are jealous when it comes to watching our lawns die in the drought.
    • PRO
      EasyTurf
      10 years ago
      @Emily - you don't have to be jealous ... we can send a design consultant to talk to you about your lawn - what part of drought country are you in?
      Cheers!
      George
    • PRO
      VizX Design Studios, LLC
      10 years ago
      Aquascape out of St. Charles IL makes are really neat water harvesting system called called Rain Xchange. For the life of me I don't know why these products are not installed in every new home built in the world. Because of how easy it can be shipped and put together on site, you can have as many gallons as you can afford under ground. The water can then be used to wash your car, water the plants and the lawn. It can even be hooked up to your toilets.
    • PRO
      River Valley Cabinet Works
      9 years ago
      @Borum, Wade and Associates-"Xerioscape"...is that another term for concrete?
    • Jolene
      9 years ago
      We have done more succulents, less watering and catch water in buckets in the shower (use on plants) as well as not taking baths. I get really excited when our water usage is less than previous years!
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