Outdoor Tips

A typical home uses twice as much water outside as inside. Landscaping contributes to a large use of this water. Install a low water use landscaping called XeriscapeT for a green, colorful yard.

Go Under Cover! (your pool that is!) 40 gallons of water evaporates per square foot of open water in the Sierra Vista, Arizona area per year. If a pool is 400 square feet and is uncovered, it could be evaporating 16,000 gallons of water per year! A covered pool can save 15,246 gallons. So, cover it up!

"Harvest" pool backwash for plants when chlorine levels are not greater than 3 ppm.

Do you wash your car at home? There are waterless car wash products available that can make your car shine like a top! But if you wash with water - put an automatic shut off nozzle on your hose- and make sure it doesn't leak. If it does, it is usually a washer that needs replacing. Grab a bucket and towel, and see if you can keep water from going down your driveway! If your drive is sloped to drain to the side- or if you can wash your car on your lawn or graveled area, use a mild soap so you can water your plants while you wash the car!

Sweep Sidewalks! You can save 25-50 gallons of good drinking water by using a broom to clean sidewalks and driveways instead of a hose. Hoses can deliver 5 gallons of water a minute!

Check for Leaks in Hose Bibs: A leaking faucet can waste more than 73 gallons per day depending on the size of the leak.

Mist Cooling Systems: A typical system uses 2 gallons of water per minute to cool 1,000 square feet of patio area or 720 gallons per 6 hour use, or 21,600 gallons of water each month. Only use the system when using the patio.