We encourage you to conserve water at all times, here's some easy water saving tips in and around your home.
If you're on the city's water supply - see water restriction alert levels
In the laundry
- Load up the washing machine, make sure every load is full. Saves 125 litres per full wash.
- Use the washing cycle with the least rinses - if you must wash small loads, use the lowest water level on your machine.
- Use the "suds-saver" feature if your machine has one. It reuses warm, soapy water.
- Repair leaky taps, hoses or fittings - that goes for sinks, basins and outside taps too. This can save up to 32,000 litres per month.
In the bathroom
- Turn the tap off while cleaning your teeth or shaving - saves 10 litres per minute
- A 3 minute shower uses less than half the water needed for a bath - saves 80 litres per shower.
- Check your toilet for leaks. Put a few drops of food colouring into the toilet cistern. If it appears in the bowl without flushing, you've got a leak that needs fixing. Leaks waste up to 32,000 litres per month.
- Fix any leaking taps.
If you're planning to renovate or build
- Install water-saving shower heads or a flow restrictor - saves 30 litres per shower.
- Install a flush saver device or dual flush to your toilet - saves up to 10 litres per flush.
In the kitchen
- Rinse and peel vegetables in a bowl or sink half-filled with water, instead of under a running the tap - saves 10 litres per minute.
- Wait until you have a full load before starting your dishwasher, use the eco-setting - saves 125 litres for each wash.
- Only run the waste disposal unit when it's full - saves 10 litres per minute
- Rinse dishes in a sink filled with water, rather than under a running tap - saves 20 litres
- Keep a jug of drinking water in the refrigerator instead of running the tap water until its cold - saves up to 2 litres per glass
- When boiling vegetables, use just enough water to cover them and use a tight fitting pot lid - better still, use the microwave.
Saving water outdoors
- Water only what your plants need, over-watering or inefficient irrigation systems just waste water
- If your irrigation system is on automatic timer - turn it off.
- Avoid watering the garden during the heat of the day.
- Plant smart - plant different varieties of hardy, drought resistant plants, especially on steep slopes where there's a lot of runoff. Succulents, cacti and desert plants are easy care and provide interesting shapes and textures for your garden.
- Mulch or compost your flowerbeds. Organic material on the soil will help trap-in moisture, prevent weeds and provide important nutrients to your plants.
- Mow your lawns on the highest setting - let your grass grow a bit longer. This lets the roots grow deeper and adds surface area to the grass blades so they hold more water and don't need irrigating as much.
- Put a bucket in the shower to catch the water. Use it to water pot plants. You'll be surprised how much water you'll collect.
- Sweep - don't hose. Sweep paths and driveways rather than hosing them down.
- Cover your pool to reduce evaporation.
- Use a bucket to wash your boat, bike etc - only use the hose to rinse off.
- Wash your car, boat, bike on the grass and water your lawn at the same time.