Wet years, dry years, hot summers, cool summers, icy winters and mild winters, California is a land of contrasts and, on occasion, a land of challenges.  Certainly life in California cannot qualify as dull, drab or monotonous.

We are in the fourth year of almost continuous drought with rainfall so scarce we wonder if our water supply will carry us through the coming long, hot, dry summer months, so characteristic of the traditional California dry season.  The landscape is showing signs of strain, trees dying and withering while the threat of fire hangs over us like the legendary sword of Damocles.  Rising to the challenge has never been more urgent:  we must conserve water. 

There are many things we can do to reduce water usage or make better use of the water and here are a few suggestions:

1.       Never waste your laundry water.  Re-use it to water your yard.  Soapy water does no harm to non-edible plants and they will thank you for it.  First you must install a laundry tub next to your washer, because the washer spins out the washing water at far higher volume than the garden hose can absorb.  Have the discharge hose pour its load into the tub, then obtain a simple fixture at your hardware store to glue onto the discharge drainage pipe to which you can attach an ordinary garden hose.  Preferably use a mild laundry soap together with a small amount of baking soda and no harm will come to your plants.  Soapy water is beneficial in that it acts as a natural fungicide. 

2.      Do not use sprinklers on lawns or green areas that you would like to preserve.  Use a bubbler and flood the area, there will be far less chance of evaporation. 

3.      Confine your dishwashing to one load a day.  Try not to use the dishwasher unless it is fully loaded, otherwise hand wash small numbers of dishes, and be sure to save the cold run-out into a bucket or gallon jug later for drinking or cooking water or watering your potted plants. Instant hot water appliances are available at plumbing supply stores, but I find they run up your electric or gas bill and are not economic.  Unless of course, you are solar equipped. 

4.      Bathe European style.  Instead of a shower head high up in the shower stall, attach a four or five foot plumber’s hose to your shower pipe, and purchase a shower head with a “hold” valve so you can easily turn the water on or off.  No water should be wasted while you soap up and scrub, use the shower for rinsing only.  You will be surprised at the water savings. 

5.      Bathe Japanese style.  Fill a tub full of hot water for the entire family to use.  This is accomplished in Japan by installing a tiled bathroom floor with a drainage hole, so that washing and rinsing can be done outside the tub before stepping in for a final soak.  The bather simply uses a ladle or bucket to wash and rinse before using the tub.  If you have a traditional American bathroom without tiled floor and drainage, try using an old-fashioned tin tub to accomplish the task, it can be carried out later to water the yard.  Be sure to keep the lukewarm tub water to do some hand laundry or ladle out to flush the toilet. 

6.      If you have a water-saver toilet, good for you.  But if you have a traditional toilet tank that uses more than 1 ½ gallons of water, try placing a capped bottle full of water into the tank, or place a smooth granite rock into the tank as an alternative.  Do not, as previously suggested, place a brick into the tank, it will deteriorate and clog your drain, and as well the chemical composition of the brick may not be desirable.  Alternately, keep a bucket of water available to ladle water out of your tub and avoid fresh water flushing altogether. 

7.      Evaporative coolers are wonderful in our dry California air.  But they use a lot of water.  It is estimated one evaporative cooler running for eight hours can consume as much as 200 gallons.  Try cutting down  with these methods:

a.       Make sure your house is well insulated or have extra insulation blown into your walls and ceilings if necessary.  Even in the hottest weather, your house will cool down overnight and remain comfortable through at least the noon hour.  This will cut down substantially on usage of the cooling system.

b.      Make use of only one cooler at a time.  If you are not using your bedroom during the day, why waste the cooler?  And try using an electric fan to distribute the cool air more evenly throughout the house.
 
These are just a few of the many suggestions for saving water.  I am sure others have methods equally efficient.  Please let us have your thoughts. 

Lucille Apcar
Mariposa, California