Metropolitan Domestic Water Improvement District - Tucson, Arizona USA
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Metro Water Conservation
Important Note regarding District Groundwater Levels
Greywater / Water Harvesting Rebate Program
Other Conservation Tips and Facts
Metro Water District offers a $50 rebate when an ultra-low-flush (1.6 gallons) toilet replaces an old water guzzling 3, 5, or 7 gallon toilet. A $40 rebate is offered for additional toilets replaced at the residence or office. Replacing an old high-flush toilet will save gallons of water a year without requiring a change in behavior. Ultra-low-flush toilets have improved in design to be more efficient in how they work. Stop by (6265 N. La Canada Dr.) or call (575-8100) to pick up a rebate form.
-Use water for only one activity at a time during peak demand, e.g., avoid starting your laundry and taking a shower at the same time.
-Irrigate during cool hours other than peak demand.
-Use less water for each activity.
-Better water pressure will be enjoyed by all.
-You will lower your water bills and save money.
-Steady continuous flow of water will result to all customers.
-You will Help our District meet State requirements to decrease overall water usage.
-You will help preserve our most important natural resource.
Other Conservation Tips and Facts:
-Nearly half of your water usage occurs outdoors.
-More than half of your water usage occurs during the summer.
-Most plants can survive with less water than you think. Therefore, try watering them less.
-Water when lawns and plants are thirsty. Twice a week can be enough even during the summer.
-If you water when your lawn and plants show signs of needing it as opposed to a regular schedule, you could save 1,200 to 1,500 gallons per month. Water the lawn after 8:00 P.M. (less water is needed because there is less evaporation). If you have an automatic timer on your sprinkler system, maintain it and turn it off during rainy days.
-Plant low-water-use trees, shrubs and plants. (Many beautiful trees, shrubs and plants thrive in Arizona that need far less watering than other species.)
-Use a broom to clean driveways, sidewalks and steps. (Using a broom instead of water to remove leaves, clippings or debris saves hundreds of gallons of water.)
-Maintain evaporative coolers. (Replace cooler pads regularly. Inspect cooler float, pump, and motor annually. Adjust bleed-off valves to discharge the minimum amount of water necessary.)
-Don't water the sidewalk! (Position your sprinklers in such a way that water lands on your lawn or garden, not on concrete, where it does no good. Avoid watering on windy days when much of your water may be carried off before it ever hits the ground.)
-Put a layer of mulch around trees and plants. (A layer of mulch will slow the evaporation of moisture.)
-Irrigate deeply and infrequently.
-When you do water, do it just long enough for water to seep down to the roots where it won't evaporate quickly and where it will do the most good. A light sprinkling, which sits on the surface, will simply evaporate and be wasted.
-Reduce water loss from your pool. (Keep your pool's water level low to minimize splashing. Use a pool cover, or float large sheets of styrofoam in your pool, to reduce evaporation. A pool cover can save up to 10,000 gallons a year and increases safety.)
-Keep a pitcher or bottle of drinking water in the refrigerator. (This ends the wasteful practice of running tap water to cool it off for drinking)
-Use your automatic dishwasher only for full loads. (Every time you run your dishwasher, you use about 25 gallons of water.)
-If you wash dishes by hand, don't leave the water running for rinsing. (If you have two sinks, fill one with soapy water and one with rinse water. If you have one sink, gather all the washed dishes in the dish rack and rinse them with an inexpensive spray device.)
-Don't let the faucet run while you clean vegetables. (You can do this more efficiently by filling a large bowl with water or putting a stopper in the sink and filling the sink with water.)
-Check faucets and pipes for leaks. (Even the smallest drip from a worn washer can waste 50 or more gallons of water each day. Larger leaks can waste hundreds of gallons.)
-Use you automatic washing machine only for full loads. (Your automatic washer uses 30 to 35 gallons of water in a cycle. That's a lot of water for three T-shirts.)
-Check you toilet for leaks. (A leak in your toilet may be wasting more than 100 gallons of water per day. To check, put a little food coloring in you toilet tank. If, without flushing, the coloring begins to appear in the bowl, you have a leak. Adjust or replace the flush valve or call a plumber.)
-Replace appliances with water efficient ones. (If you are in the market for a new appliance, check its conservation features to determine if it will save water and other energy costs.)
-Take shorter showers. (Long, hot showers waste 5 to 10 gallons of water every unneeded minute. Limit you showers to the time it takes to soap up, wash down and rinse off.)
-Install water-saving showerheads or flow restrictors. (Most showerheads put out 5 to 10 gallons of water a minute, while three gallons is actually enough for a refreshing, cleansing shower. Your local hardware or plumbing supply store stocks inexpensive water-saving shower heads that you can install yourself.)
-Stop using you toilet as an ashtray or wastebasket. (Every time you flush a cigarette butt, facial tissue or other small trash down the toilet, you waste 5 to 7 gallons of water.)
-Turn off the water after you wet you toothbrush. (After you have wet your toothbrush and filled a glass for rinsing your mouth, there is no need to keep water pouring down the drain.)
-Rinse you razor in the sink. (Before shaving, partially fill you sink with a few inches of warm water. This will rinse you blade just as efficiently as running water, and far less wasteful.)
-Don't run the hose while washing your car. (Soap down your car with a pail of soapy water. Then use a hose to rinse it off.)
For more Water Conservation Tips and Tricks, visit our Links page.
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