Conserving water will help preserve Cape
Breton’s natural water sources as well as helping
homeowners’ save money.
Here are 10 simple steps to help
conserve this precious resource:
1. If you feel you must water your lawn,
do so in the early morning or early evening to minimize
evaporation and waste. Discolored or brownish lawns are
common during hot, sunny weather. Watering you lawn everyday
is wasteful as the grass isn’t actually dead. Wait
for the next rainfall; it will restore your lawn’s
color.
2. Rain barrels are a great and easy
way to make use of rain water to water your lawn and plants.
Rain barrels can be purchased at ACAP Cape Breton.
3. Raise your lawn mower blade to its
highest setting to encourage grass roots to grow deeper
and grass blades to retain moisture for longer periods
of time.
4. Buy a nozzle for your hose to control
the flow of water. Check hoses, sprinklers and outdoor
faucets for leaks. A small drip can waste a lot of water.
5. In the winter, don’t leave a
tap running to prevent water pipes from freezing. Protect
your plumbing, including the water meter by insulating
the crawl space or basement. Heat tape and other alternatives
can help protect plumbing as well.
6. Read your water meter before and after
a two-hour period when no water is being used to find out
if you have a leak. If the readings are different you have
a leak. If you have a well, listen to see if the pump turns
on and off while the water is not in use. If it does, you
have a leak.
7. Add aerators to kitchen and bathroom
faucets to reduce water consumption. Replace washers to
repair dripping faucets. If your hot water tap is leaking
make sure repairs are made as soon as possible, because
you will pay extra on both your water and heating bills.
8. Purchase a low-flow toilet and check
for leaks. Install a low-toilet that uses 6 litres of water
or less per flush compared to older toilets that use anywhere
from 18 to 24 litres per flush. Another alternative is
to place a toilet insert or weighted plastic bottle in
the water tank. Check for leaks by adding food coloring
or toilet testing tablets to the water tank and check to
see if the colour spreads to the toilet bowl without flushing.
A leaky toilet wastes water and can cost you $40 every
three months.
9. Manage household chores. Run automatic
dishwashers using full loads only and set clothes washers
to the appropriate level for the size of the load you are
washing.
10. Keep your showers short. Keep your
showers under 5 minutes and install a low-flow showerhead.
Low-flow showerheads use only 10 litres of water per minute
compared to 30 litres per minute for older showerheads.
Source: CBRM Water
Utility
For information on the low-flow toilet
rebate and ACAP Cape Breton’s showerhead swap program click
here.
For more information on CBRM Source Water Protection please click here.
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