Bathroom
Install water-saving shower and
faucets and low-flush toilets. Or
use a water-displacement device in
the tank of a conventional toilet. Fix
leaky fixtures.
Modify personal habits: Avoid leaving
the faucet running while shaving or
brushing teeth. Take shorter showers.Kitchen
Use a dishwasher, with a full load. It
requires less water than washing
dishes by hand. Avoid peak usage
times.Laundry room
Choose a high-efficiency washing
machine to use less water and spin
more water out of the clothes.Gray water
storage tankLawn
Use gray water.
Plant native species.Richard Nowitz/NG Image Collection © Peng Zhaozhi/Xinhua Press/Corbis
a. Microirrigation. Close-up of a drip irrigation pipe system releasing water
directly between young plants, eliminating much of the waste associated
with traditional methods of irrigation. Photographed on an experimental
farm in the Negev Desert, Israel.b. Industrial Water Conservation. A technician at a
methanol plant in Lingwu, China, operates a pump
involved in water recycling. The plant, part of Shenhua
Ningxia Coal Industry Group, reduces its water
consumption in part by trading water conservation
technology, such as renovating old irrigation facilities,
for agricultural water quotas in the region.c. Conserving Water at Home.
In your bathroom, kitchen, and
laundry room, as well as on your
lawn, you can take many steps to
limit water use. Individual homes
and buildings can be modified to
collect and store “gray water”—
water already used in sinks,
showers, washing machines, and
dishwashers—when clean water
is not required: in flushing toilets,
washing the car, and sprinkling
the lawn, or, especially in the
Southwest, irrigating golf courses.
Permits to install gray water
systems vary from state to state.
Arizona and other states with
severe water shortages are more
flexible than other states about
allowing gray water systems.
Home owners can also conserve
water used for landscaping by
planting native species adapted to
their local climate.Environmental InSight Water conservationÊ UÊ }ÕÀiʣ䰣x
✓✓THE PLANNER
Water Management 257