Chapter 15: Water Conservation

Using Water Efficiently

How we use water in our homes can have a tremendous impact on water resources. For example, 40% of indoor water usage goes to waste disposal through the toilet. A five-minute shower can use more than 40 gallons of water. Leakage through worn-out washers and faulty toilet tank valves accounts for up to 10% of all indoor residential water consumption. Conservatively, indoor leakage probably results in the loss of more than 200 million gallons of water per year in the Gallatin Watershed, enough water to supply 613 families for a year.

Typical Water Use Around the Home Toilet: 3 percent Clothes Washer: 22 percent Shower: 21 percent Faucets: 12 percent Bath: 9 percent Toilet Leaks: 5 percent Dishwasher: 3 percent Source: Woodwell 1995

Most new home fixtures commercially available are low-flow fixtures. However, if you have an older home or are unsure, consider the following to eliminate waste and save both energy and money:

• install flow restrictors or low-flow showerheads;
• check faucets for drips;
• to detect toilet leaks, add a small amount of food coloring in the tank and watch for color in the bowl;
• reduce toilet tank volume by installing a water displacement device or a low-flow toilet;
• use an on/off nozzle to wash your car;
• wash only full loads in the dishwasher;
• avoid lawn watering when it is windy or during hot parts of the day.

Reduce by 25 percent the amount of water flowing out of your toilet by placing a rock-filled plastic milk jug in your toilet tank. Source: National Small Flows Clearinghouse

Community-Based Conservation

Expanding water and wastewater infrastructure to meet the needs of growing communities in the Gallatin is not only costly but also ultimately means greater stress will be placed on our limited supplies of ground and surface water. The more communities and individuals do to use water wisely, the less demand will be placed on the water we have. Many communities around the country have faced this challenge. Some community-based solutions include:

Education

• Educating children and adults about water conservation, low-water-use demonstration gardens, landscaping assistance, pilot projects to test water conservation systems.

Financial incentives

• Providing free water audits similar to power company energy audits.
• Offering rebates for household and commercial remodeling that installs water-conserving fixtures.
• Rate restructuring to reward lower use rather than higher use.

Local ordinances

• Requiring low-flow fixtures–the Big Sky Zoning District requires installation of low-flow fixtures in all new construction.
• Tax breaks for low-water-use landscaping.
• Allowing outdoor watering only during certain times.

Asking communities to join in this effort will require the efforts of citizens to move their leaders to create programs that the community will support.

Avoiding tomorrow’s problems and conflicts depends on what we do today to maintain the high quality of water resources we enjoy. Water is a community resource that we all share. You can help protect the Gallatin’s water in a variety of ways, including educating others, joining groups that protect water, employing more efficient practices around your lawn and pasture, better managing your septic system, or conserving water around the home. By taking action, you are entering a partnership with all of us who live in the Gallatin Watershed to safeguard this precious resource and ensure that the Gallatin remains a special place.

Resources

Montana State University Extension Service - agricultural drought guides, diagnostic wheels for water use around the home
994-3451.

< Back to The Gallatin Watershed Sourcebook Table of Contents