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WaterSmart Tips

Saving water can save you money - year-round.  Listed below are some tips to help you save water and money.  It's easy to save water in and around your house and EBMUD can also help you save with information, rebates and other programs.

Saving Water in the House
Water Waste Prevention
Saving Water in the Yard
Saving Water in the Commercial Landscape
 

Saving Water in the House

1. Older toilets - EBMUD customers can receive rebates for purchasing qualifying WaterSmart High-Efficiency Toilets (HET), which flush at 1.3 gallons per flush (gpf) or less.  The rebate amount is $150 (or up to total cost of each toilet, whichever is less) per qualifying HET from the current List of Qualifying Toilets. These toilets have been tested for water savings reliability and flush performance, thus using less water and removing waste effectively.  Please note, no standard 1.6 gpf toilet models qualify for a rebate. Visit our WaterSmart High-Efficiency Toilet  for specific program rules and eligibility requirements.
    

2. Toilet Devices - For toilets using 3.5 gpf or more, install toilet devices such as displacement bags, toilet dams, or adjustable flappers to save water each time the toilet is flushed. An EBMUD "Toilet Tummy", when filled and inserted into your toilet tank, will reduce each flush by about 3 quarts.  You can also adjust the amount of water in the Toilet Tummy for a custom flush.  Displacement devices are less expensive alternative to replacing your toilet.
    

3. Showerheads - Install a water efficient showerhead that uses no more than 2.5 gallons of water per minute. That's plenty of water for a refreshing, cleansing shower.  A standard shower head uses five to ten gallons of water per minute.  Taking a short shower using a water-efficient showerhead can save water and money.
    

4. Aerators - Low-flow aerators on your kitchen and bathroom faucets are easy to install and reduce water use and splashing .  A flow rate of 2.2 gallons per minute is recommended for kitchen faucets and 1.5 gallons per minute for bathroom faucets.  EBMUD provides its customers with free devices.
    
5. Clothes washers - EBMUD customers can get up to $150 in rebates for purchasing and installing approved high-efficiency clothes washers from the current List of Qualifying Washers. A high-efficiency machine uses less water, energy, and detergent, and clean clothes better than conventional models.  These models typically use about 30% less water and between 40 to 70% less energy.

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Water Waste Prevention 

1. A "running" toilet can waste two gallons of water per minute. A silent leak in a toilet can waste up to 7,000 gallons of water per month. To find silent leaks, put food coloring in the tank. Do not flush. Check the toilet bowl ten minutes later. If you see color in the bowl, the tank has a silent leak.  Toilet leaks are typically caused by either a worn out flapper valve or a fill valve that doesn't completely shut off when the tank is full.  The flapper valve is the stopper in the bottom of the tank that lifts up when you push the flush handle and is the most likely culprit.  Solution:  replace your flapper.
   
   First shut off the water at the toilet, not at the house line.  Next, remove the worn flapper and purchasing a comparable replacement part.  Ask your hardware retailer for assistance with finding the correct replacement flapper valve.
    

2. A faucet leaking a slow steady drip - 100 drops per minute - wastes 350 gallons per month. A faucet leaking a small stream wastes 2,000 to 2,700 gallons of water per month.  Replacing worn washers in your faucets will usually stop leaks.
    

3. Look for hidden leaks. Turn off all running water in the house. Check the reading on your water meter. Don't use any water for 30 minutes, then read the meter. If it shows water used, then you have a hidden leak that needs repair.
    

4. When running water in the sink or tub while waiting for it to get hot, put a gallon jug under the faucet. You can then use this water for other things around the house.  Don't turn on the water and walk away waiting for it to warm up.  You may not get back to it before hot water is wasted and can end up increasing both your water and energy bills.  Insulate hot water pipes where possible to minimize water waste while waiting for the hot water to arrive.
    

5. While brushing your teeth, turn off the tap. Rinse using a cup for water; run the tap only to rinse the toothbrush.
    

6. When showering and washing hands, wet your body. Turn off the water, apply soap, and then turn on the water to rinse.
    

7. When washing dishes by hand, instead of running water to rinse dishes, fill the kitchen sink and dip dishes in water to rinse.  Automatic dishwashers are more efficient than hand washing dishes.  Most dishwashers do not require pre-rinsing dishes by hand.  Scrape solid food waste off dishes preferably into a composting container, and wash full loads.
    

8. Fill the sink or a bowl with water to wash fruits and vegetables.
    

9. Keep a container of water in the refrigerator rather than running tap water for a cool drink.
    

10. Operate the garbage disposal only when necessary.  Consider composting food waste for use in your garden or dispose of it as solid waste if your community's trash collection accepts food waste for composting. For more information on home and municipal composting check out www.Stopwaste.org.

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Saving Water in the Yard

1. Water less frequently but more deeply.  Think of your soil as a reservoir that holds water for your plants.  Watering to the root depth of your plants creates a healthier and more efficient garden.  For lawns in clay soil, this means applying ½ inch of water to moisten the soil to a depth of 6 inches; water shrubs even more deeply and less frequently.  You can determine how long it takes to apply ½ inch of water by setting out several catch cans, running your sprinklers, and measuring the time it takes to fill them with ½ inch of water. Lawns planted in very sandy soils will require less than ½ inch each watering day but more frequent application.  Another method of determining how deeply you are watering is to water for five minutes, then probe the soil with a garden spade to see how deeply you have moistened the soil.  For example, if five minutes of irrigation moistens your clay soil to a depth of two inches, you would need to water for fifteen minutes to moisten the soil to a depth of six inches.  Note that this test will only work during the dry season. 
    

2. Adjust your irrigation controller according to the seasons. Your garden does not need as much water in April as it does in July. Add days to your watering schedule for the summer season and then reduce the number of  days as fall approaches.   Lawns, the thirstiest of plants, will require watering a maximum of three times per week in the hot summer months and one or two times per week in the spring and autumn.  Perennials and shrubs require less frequent watering than lawns.   
    

3. Reduce urban runoff caused by long irrigation cycles.  Use your irrigation controller to break up the application of water into shorter run times.  For example three, five-minute applications with an hour in between will allow the soil to absorb more of the applied water that one 15-minute application.  That way, more water will reach your plants’ root zone in an irrigation day.  This is especially important when your lawn or garden is planted on a slope or in clay soil, which absorbs water slowly.   
    

4. Exchange your irrigation controller for a Water-Smart Irrigation Controller.  To encourage reduced outdoor water use and promote healthy and attractive landscapes by improving watering efficiency. East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) customers who use more than 250 gallons per day of summer irrigation may be eligible for a rebate on a weather-based irrigation controller.  The rebates are for $100, $250, $350, and $500, and depend on past water consumption.
    

5. Routinely check your irrigation system for leaks. Very often we do not see our sprinklers when they are operating. It takes only moments to run through all of your stations to make certain there are no broken or misadjusted heads.
    

6. Choose drip irrigation.  Drip irrigation systems apply water more accurately and at a much lower rate than overhead spray. Water is measured in gallons per hour instead of gallons per minute.  Slow, accurate application of water to the plant roots prevents water from spraying and running off on walkways and into gutters.  A well designed drip system is durable and there is even sub-surface drip irrigation for lawns.  EBMUD offers rebates to customers that install drip irrigation systems.
    

7. Select plants that are adapted to Mediterranean climates. Whether adding to your existing garden or replacing existing plants, choose Mediterranean or California native plants that will thrive on less summer water. There are many plants available to create a colorful, interesting, and lush garden well suited to the climates and soils found in our region.  Many of these plants are featured in EBMUD’s new publication, Plants and Landscapes for Summer-Dry Climates of the San Francisco Bay Region.
    

8. Group plants in Hydr O zones. Use separate stations to irrigate plants grouped together  according to their high, medium, or low water needs. Mixing high- and low-water-use plants that are watered by the same irrigation valve or station makes it difficult to apply the correct amount of water.  
    

9. Apply mulch to your garden.  Mulch is the “secret weapon” of water conservation in the garden. EBMUD recommends at least three inches of mulch to maintain moisture in the soil, suppress weeds, protect the irrigation system from the harmful rays of the sun, and give the garden a finished look. Organic mulch, such as wood bark or compost will also amend the soil as it decomposes. Never apply mulch right up against the main stem or trunk of a plant.

Saving Water in the Commercial Landscape                                                                                                                  

EBMUD Practical Tips for saving water, improving plant health, and lowering your water costs for your commercial sites. How to save water for your  Home-owner Associations, Business Parks, and City Roadside and Median Planter Areas.  You can contact us to schedule a free irrigation survey and request current program information.

For more information on our rebate programs and eligible water saving products, contact custsvc@ebmud.com  or call toll-free 1-866-40-EBMUD (1-866-403-2683).

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