Water Saving Measures

Water is a finite resource, a fact becoming widely accepted in the community today. Though most of the earth is covered with water, only 1% of that water is actually drinkable. In spite of its importance, drinkable water is often taken for granted. For many people, fresh water is as close as their faucets. This accessibility can give the illusion that the supply of drinkable water is unlimited. It also makes it easy for people to be unconcerned with all of the necessary treatment water undergoes prior to reaching their faucets.

We have compiled a list of ways you can conserve water at home, using a wide variety of sources such as water utilities and government authorities. The list is in order from the greatest water saving down to those small changes that can still make a difference. Add up all those options that you could do at home and you'll be amazed how much water you could save each year. While our water use in the garden varies, the opportunities to save the most water are usually in the garden, such as using native plants, reducing the area of lawn to water, and installing a rainwater tank for the garden watering.

Your water meter is the starting point for improving your understanding of water use. Normally water bills show the amount of water used and give you the ability to monitor your use. Some major cities and towns in Australia still don't have water meters, which limits the ability of households to manage their water use better.

With the growing shortage of fresh water supplies in many parts of the U.S., particularly in cases of drought, it has become essential to find ways to conserve water and use it efficiently. Water resource scarcity, combined with tight public sector budgets; require that water management professionals and researchers become increasingly rigorous in their evaluation of water conservation programs and measures. Yet, after-the-fact assessment is rarely done. Water providers lack basic information on the actual water savings attributable to conservation programs, as well as the costs and benefits of such programs.