Water Water Everywhere?
by Whether you have city water or well water, we should always consider the cost of wasteful water practices. Power is used to pump water, usually in the form of electricity. As a result, conserving water could been seen as beneficial on several levels. Saving water, saving power, and saving our environment from the effects of pollution.
We have well water. That means when the water runs, electricity is being used to pump the water out of the ground. Our well is around 300 feet deep. We live in a very dry, arid area. Every drop counts. And every drop costs money!
Some say I’m a bit extreme when it comes to conserving. Walk a mile in my moccasins. In the mean time, here are some ideas.
I don’t just conserve water, I hoard it! I can’t count how many times I’ve had the water cut out on me in the middle of my shower. I always take a shower as opposed to a bath. I always plug the tub before I start the water. I have a five gallon bucket in the shower with me to catch all the water it can. When the water cuts out, and it will, I have a back up of water to rinse with. If I made it through my shower without needing my back-up bucket, I use the saved water for toilet flushing water.
Check for leaky areas. Faucets, connections, anything that may let the water run unchecked. Sink dripping, toilet running long after a flush, a wet spot on the basement floor? Fix it. If I have a leak I can’t get fixed right away, I set a big container under it to catch the water. I can use it later, probably as animal water or flush water for the toilet.
Something I notice is unusual bug traffic. If I see centipedes in the basement, I go around and check for leaks. There is something they are after that would bring them inside. The way I see it, critters of any sort don’t want to be around humans anymore than humans want them around. Either they are lost and came inside by mistake, or I’m offering something they need.
I don’t trust sink or tub plugs, I’ve seen them let water leak out way too many times. I use the plug as a back up, but all water goes into a container of some sort. My clothes, dishes, bathing, are all done in an easily packable container. Every drop of water is considered for reuse before it goes down a drain.
Reuse the water. Think before you pull the plug. Is there something else the water your about to dump could be used for? Rinse water could be wash water, wash water could be toilet flushing water.
There is some set up planning in this type of thinking. Buckets and containers should preferably have lids. You don’t want five gallon buckets sitting around where kids could fall in. You don’t want to use strong chemicals and then dump them on your garden.
Before you turn on that magic faucet where water runs free and clear, think. Think about where it came from, where it will go. Think about how fortunate you are to have clean water. Waste not want not.
Peace!
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