Drought’s Scarlet Letter

Gone are the days of summer that included running through the sprinklers, using the slip and slide, or cracking open a fire hydrant so all the neighborhood kids could cool off.  Living in an area that is suffering from severe drought conditions, we are in constant fear of being shunned and accused of wasting water.  Instead of a scarlet letter upon our chests, now “Draught Shaming” is the new rage on Twitter.  There are even apps on the phone, for your neighbors to report you for wasting water, such as VizSafe and H2O Tracker. 

All this suspicion has made me think that there are a few things that I can do to improve the water usage in my home.  The first thing to look for is if there are any leaks around the home, not only in pipes and faucets but also in your toilet.  Checking your water meter regularly during times when water is not running will help you to determine if there are any hidden leaks.  Another easy fix for water consumption is to update your equipment, such as installing water-saving showerheads, faucet aerators, low-flush toilets, or tank banks/float boosters in the toilet.  You could also insulate your pipes with pre-slit foam tubing so that it takes less time for the water to heat up, and, you are not wasting water during that time.  The best way so conserve our water is to just not use as much.  Only run your washing machine or dishwasher when they are completely full.  Collect rain water in barrels to water your grass and gardens, take shorter showers, and turn off the water rather than let it run when doing certain activities, such as, brushing teeth, washing dishes, or shaving.   Lastly, you could check out an app that will help you keep track of your water usage rather than just shame you with it, such as Dropcountr.  So, before you see me “shamed” all over the internet and I get a visit from the “water cops”, I think I will try some, if not all of these things.