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Quick, Cheap, and Easy Choices You Can Do Today!
Middle Tennessee is faced with the very ironic challenge of flooding on the one hand and the severe need for saving water on the other. It’s important for everyone to conserve water until further notice. Until we get full water treatment plants going again all of us can take some simple steps to reduce our water use until the crisis has passed:
In the bathroom:
- Shut off the water faucet while brushing your teeth or washing hands and face.
- When faucet is running capture the water in a bowl for other uses
- Use a cup of water to rinse your tooth brush instead of running water
- Use the first cold water from the faucet and don’t wait for it to get warm
- Put an aerator on all your faucets to cut water use by 30% with no loss of performance.
- Shower only every two or three days and make them short showers
- Put a low flow shower head on your fixtures
- Put a half-gallon jug of water or a brick in the toilet tank to reduce the water used per flush
- Allow two uses of the toilet for liquid waste before flushing
In the kitchen:
- Switch to paper plates, bowls and glasses to cut out need for washing dishes
- When faucet is running capture the water in a bowl for other uses
- Use dishwasher rarely and only with completely full loads
- If hand washing your dishes, use a pale of water to rinse instead of running water
- Rinse fresh foods in a bowl of water instead of running water.
In the laundry:
- Postpone all nonessential clothes washing
- If you must wash clothes, wash only full loads with lowest water settings
- Postpone all nonessential cleaning in home or yard
In the yard:
- Turn off all irrigation systems at home and at work
- Postpone all watering of plants
- Do not wash your car at home or in commercial car washes
- Do not use water to wash sidewalks or driveways
- Use the water from your dehumidifier to water your plants
- Install a rain barrel to collect irrigation water from roof runoff
Please be responsible and help us all keep the Nashville water system working for everyone! Thank-you!
Emergency Water Efficiency Choices
from the Cumberland River Compact
May 2010
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