Four simple "waves" you can save water

By Sophie Salem, Staff Writer

Ninety percent of California is experiencing drought conditions in 2021. With very little rainfall, California seems to be heading into yet another drought year. However, this can change with small adjustments to daily routines. These simple everyday changes to minimize water waste can make a significant impact on California's next steps for the future.

Shorter Showers 

After a long school day, many people look forward to a nice warm shower. The steamy air and relaxing water flow is a typical way to apply self-care to one’s everyday routine, but it isn’t so relaxing for the environment. According to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Washington D.C., a standard showerhead wastes 2.5 gallons of water per minute. That’s a lot of gallons of water being wasted that don’t have to be. If everyone in California just simply cut their shower time by a few short minutes, gallons upon gallons of water would be saved. This reserved water could then go toward alternative uses such as watering crops or even potable water. This small change would drive California one step forward to resolving the loss of water. 

Stop that faucet

Brushing one's teeth is an everyday activity that has shown to be a huge water waster. When brushing our teeth twice a day, people often misjudge the amount of water coming out of the faucet. Without thinking, many leave the water running while they take the time to scrub their pearly whites. Little do they know, brushing your teeth with the water running uses about 4 gallons of water. On the other hand, if one were to turn the faucet off, less than a quarter of a gallon is wasted! This change can be made everyday with just a little extra effort. Just by turning the faucet off while brushing their teeth, communities can save gallons of water.

Use a dishwasher

For many, dirty dishes are a constant struggle, especially because of the amount of time spent indoors during the pandemic. Some rely on dishwashers, and some only do their dishes by hand, but the fact of the matter is that a dishwasher saves around 5,000 gallons of water per year, or around 27 gallons per load. This difference can save so much water per year and help to improve California's lack of water. If possible, making the switch from hand washing to dishwashing your daily dish loads is the way to go.

Watch out for leaks

Household leaks are an extremely common occurrence. From pipe leaks to faucet leaks, “The average household's leaks can account for nearly 10,000 gallons of water wasted every year and ten percent of homes have leaks that waste 90 gallons or more per day” (USEPA). Though a dripping faucet doesn’t look like much, all of those small droplets can really add up. So, when one notices a leak, don’t ignore it! It is important to get it fixed as soon as possible in order to save gallons of water that can go to good use.

Saving water is one of California’s main priorities at the moment in order to avoid previous drought complications. Just by taking shorter showers, turning off the faucet when brushing your teeth, using a dishwasher instead of handwashing and taking immediate action to household leaks, one can save gallons upon gallons of water. These small changes can keep California thriving.