By Clyde W. Froehlich

The current drought has resulted in an emergency declaration by California Gov. Jerry Brown, along with a request to voluntarily reduce water consumption by 20 percent. With average season-to-date rainfall barely 20 percent of normal, and some reservoirs holding as low as 15 percent of capacity, I expect that at least some jurisdictions soon will make water conservation mandatory if they have not done so already.

Even though Davis is on well water, it is clear from the recent discussions about the Woodland-Davis surface water project that our aquifer water supplies are not infinite.

Many media outlets have done a great community service by recommending various ways to conserve water. Steps like replacing older, non-water-saving toilets with newer, water-saving toilets; fixing faucet and irrigation leaks; buying and installing water-saving washing machines and dishwashers; using low-flow shower heads, etc.; have been recommended.

Such recommendations only scratch the surface of what can be done. Taking major steps like replacing toilets, washing machines and dishwashers with low-water-consumption models; replacing lawns with drought-tolerant California native plants; and replacing spray sprinkler heads with a drip system, etc., are non-starters for many due to costs and time.

However, if you are really serious about saving water, there are many low-cost or no-cost ways you can do so. Below are some recommendations that really will make a difference:

* Replace bathroom faucet aerators with 1 gallon-per-minute (gpm) aerators or install flow restrictor devices;

* Do not let the water run while brushing your teeth or shaving;

* When washing your face or hands, turn the faucet on to wet your hands or hands. Then turn it off while soaping and washing. Then turn the faucet back on to rinse;

* When running shower, tub or sink water until it gets hot, collect the water in a bucket, bowl or pot. Do not let the water go down the drain;

* Take the lid off of your toilet tank. Upon flushing the toilet, pour the water from the bucket/bowl/pot into the tank to fill it;

* Adjust your toilet tank fill device down so that the tank stops filling a bit sooner, a bit below the normal fill line. An inch or so lower will do the trick and your toilet will still flush correctly;

* Don’t flush your toilet every time you pee;

* Make sure your dishwasher is full before you run it;

* Make sure your washing machine is full before you run it;

* Take shorter showers;

* Install a 1.5 or 2.0 gallons-per-minute shower head, preferably with a shutoff valve right on the shower head, so you can turn off the water flow at the shower head instead of at the tub/shower on/off valve;

* Take “military showers.” Rinse yourself off and then turn off the water. Soap yourself down and then turn the shower back on to rinse. (This is where a shutoff valve on the shower head itself comes in real handy.)

* Take showers rather than baths when possible;

* When washing dishes by hand, wash and rinse them in basins or tubs set in the sink. Do not let the water run while washing or rinsing. Do not let the rinse water run down the drain when finished. Use the rinse water as mentioned below;

* Use biodegradable, phosphate-free and chlorine-free dish soaps and you can safely use your rinse water to water your plants or to fill your toilet tank;

* Irrigate only when absolutely necessary and for as short an amount of time as required to keep your plantings healthy;

* Wash cars only when absolutely necessary, using as little water as possible. Commercial car washes at gas stations that recycle their water are even a better idea and will only cost you a few dollars when you fill up your tank; and

* Re-adjust sprinkler heads that are spraying onto hardscape or over-spraying.

The state of California has a wonderful website with water-saving tips: www.saveourh2o.org. For those of you who are very serious about water conservation, you can take even stronger steps such as setting up grey water systems to reuse your washing machine discharge water and sink, shower and tub water. Go to www.greywateraction.org for more information.

The American Rainwater Catchment Association at www.arcsa.org provides information about harvesting rainwater. The California Association of Resource Conservation Districts at www.carcd.org provides many resources for a multitude of water-saving ideas, workshops and other eco-friendly practices.

Drought or no drought, water conservation is here to stay in light of global climate change. The practices above, and others like them, should be adopted as permanent good habits and best practices moving forward.

— Clyde W. Froehlich retired in June 2012 after 29 years with UC Davis Student Housing Facilities Services. He is a partner in Resch + Froehlich Consulting LLC, a consultancy launched in April 2013 that serves college and university and multi-family residences.

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