Don't water the gutter or use excessive water when washing cars. Plant drought-resistant plants and use mulch to conserve water. Check for leaks in outdoor faucets and hoses, and avoid over-watering lawns. Limit shower times and use low-flow fixtures to reduce indoor water usage. Install water-saving shower heads and turn off taps while brushing teeth to cut bathroom water use.

1. Don’t water the gutter. Position your
sprinklers so water lands on the lawn or
garden, not on paved areas.
Plant drought resistant trees, plants, and
lawn grass. Many beautiful trees and plants
CONSERVATION thrive with far less watering than other
Outdoor species.
Put a layer of mulch around trees and plants.
Mulch will slow the evaporation of moisture
and discourage weed growth.
Do not permit children to play with the hose
Conservation
With water conservation efforts under way in parts
of Oklahoma, here are some water conservation
or sprinkler.
Do not use a constant stream of water when
washing the car. Wash from a bucket of
Tips For
tips from the Department of Environmental soapy water, using the hose only to rinse.
Quality. Wash less frequently during dry, hot
weather.
Kitchens and Laundry
Water piped for residential use often goes toward Use a broom, not a hose, to clean driveways
the care of lawns and gardens. As more water is
used outdoors, more water is wasted. Yet it is Bathroom
possible to conserve water and still maintain a
healthy lawn.
Outdoors
OUTDOOR TIPS
Check for leaks in outdoor faucets, pipes
and hoses. Even slight drips can add up to
many gallons of wasted water.
Water your lawn only when it needs it. A
good way to see if your lawn needs water-
ing is to step on the grass. If it springs back For further information visit us on
up when you move, it doesn’t need water. If the web at
it stays flat, it needs water. www.deq.state.ok.us
Avoid watering on windy days. Wind will For program-specific questions, please
carry water away from its’ intended area.
contact the Water Quality Division Main
Water during the coolest part of the day,
generally early morning, to avoid excess Telephone Number: 405/702-8100
evaporation and to help prevent the growth
of fungus.
Customer Service Hotline: 1-800-869-
Deep-soak your lawn when you do water. Give
1400 open 24hrs.
the grass ample moisture to penetrate down to By-Pass Hotline: 1-800-256-2365
the roots where it will do the most good. open 24/7 for all incident reporting

2. Reduce the use of the garbage disposal, To cut down on water used with each
which requires a great deal of water for flush, put plastic bottles filled with sand
operation. Dispose of food scraps and in your toilet tank. Place them safely
peelings in the trash container or use away from the operating mechanism.
CONSERVATION food waste in a garden compost pile. (Do not use bricks, which disintegrate
Kitchens and Laundry Install flow restrictors in faucets. after a while and damage the
With water conservation Keep faucet washers in good shape or mechanism.)
efforts under way in parts of use washerless faucets When replacing fixtures, install water
Oklahoma, here are a few
water conservation tips conserving models. The price is about
from the Department of Environmental the same.
Quality. Install water-saving shower heads or
flow restrictors. Your local hardware or
Water is a valuable, fundamental resource that plumbing supply stores stock
should not be wasted. Eventually it will recycle
CONSERVATION
inexpensive water-saving shower heads
itself, but the clean water used in homes has For the
or restrictors that are easy to install.
limitations. If each person uses only what is Bathroom Limit the length of showers to two or
needed, the natural water supply will always With water conservation
be adequate. efforts under way in parts three minutes. Consider turning the
of Oklahoma, here are a few shower off while you soap up and turn it
KITCHEN AND LAUNDRY TIPS water conservation tips from the Department on again only to rinse.
Use your automatic dishwasher and of Environmental Quality. Rinse your razor in a few inches of
automatic washing machine only for full water in the sink, rather than under
loads, never for just a few items. The most substantial reduction in personal running water.
If you wash dishes by hand, don’t leave the water use can be made in the bathroom. Two-
Turn off the tap while brushing your
water running continuously for rinsing. Fill thirds of the water used in the average home is
used in the bathroom, because many people teeth. Use only enough water to wet
one side of the sink with clean water for
rinsing, or put the washed dishes in a rack take long showers or flush the toilet the brush and rinse your mouth.
and rinse them all at once with a spray unnecessarily. Teach children to turn faucets off tightly
attachment or a pan of hot water. Water conservation not only saves water, it after use.
Don’t let the faucet run while you clean saves energy used to heat the water. Check faucets and pipes for leaks. Even
vegetables. Fill the sink or a pan with clean a small leak can waste thousands of
water to rinse. Keep a bottle of drinking Check the toilet for leaks. Put a few
drops of food coloring in your toilet gallons per month. Keep faucet washers
water in the refrigerator. Running the tap
to cool the water for drinking is wasteful tank. If, without flushing, the color begins in good shape or use washerless faucets.
and the refrigerator water will be colder to appear in the bowl, you know you
and more refreshing. Check faucets and have a leak that needs to be repaired. This publication is issued by the Oklahoma Department of Envi-
ronmental Quality, as authorized by Steven A. Thompson, Ex-
pipes for leaks. Even a small leak can waste Don’t use the toilet for disposing of ecutive Director. 300 copies have been produced at a cost of
thousands of gallons of water each year. cigarette butts or other trash. Use the $00.28 each. Copies have been deposited with the Publications
Re-use the water that vegetables are Clearinghouse of the Oklahoma Department of Libraries. Printed
garbage can. Every flush uses five to on recycled content paper (M:CSDDeniseGraphic
washed in for watering house plants or for seven gallons of water. assistant3n1water3n1.pmd) 10/2004.
cleaning.