water shortage fine - warning

[homecatmom]

Arlee453, I agree, she should not have been rinsing her car. What irks me about this restriction is that my family already conserves water religiously! I plug the tub on showers and water plants with the gray water. I only wash full loads of laundry with biodegradeable soap so as not to pollute. My lawn is dead/dying and I have drought tolerant plants. This is not my first ride on the drought merry-go-round. How am I supposed to cut back an additional 10 & 20% over the next 2 months? Any suggestions are welcome.
Cathy
P.S. If it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, flush it down!

 

[arlee453]

We have done several things here over the past couple of years...none of which specifically to save water, but as we are doing our home improvements and repairs, we do try to pick products that are more conservation friendly.

I got rid of our pool a couple years ago - it was an above ground that we inherited with the house. I am SOOO glad it's gone and that saved a bunch of water.

More recently, I replaced both toilets in the house with low flush. The newer ones are great and the ones in the house originally were from the early 80s and definately more than 2 gal a flush. I wanted to put new floors down, so just made sense to replace the toilets out while I had to take them up for the floor.

My washing machine went kaput and I replaced with a front loader. Average washing machine uses 40-60 gal PER LOAD. The one I got uses average of 12-16 gal per load.

I also replaced my shower heads which were 2.5 GPM restrictors with the kind that has the long hose on there. Again, not specifically to save water, but wanted the longer hose to make bathing kids and dogs and washing the tub easier. But, while I was at it, picked a model with very low flow, and since it has all the adjustable massage functions that makes up for the lower flow.

Our water bill has dropped by 1/3 since I made these changes (even not counting the pool which was a couple years ago)! My MIL lives with us and has her own washer/dryer. When she's ready for a new one I'm going to 'urge' her towards the front loaders too!

My kids also never flush the toilet.... of course that isn't in an attempt to conserve water, just a bad habit they have...!

 

[seminolewind]

I live in Pasco County Florida and we have a water restriction, and I got a fine already. The thing that irritates me the most is that this water shortage/restriction has gone on for about 5 years that I know of. I wonder if it will ever end.
We are up to 45 inches of rain already this year, and there's a water shortage!

 

[PurpleChicken]

The answer to water shortages are not forced conservation on homeowners.
Policies and ordinances that fine you for water useage are tokens created by
polititicians, mostly liberal, to fool the public into thinking they are trying to do
something. This is the same is almost every GREEN endeavor occuring today.

Don't get me wrong, I can't stand the people who water their lawns every day
just because they can afford it and want perfect lawns. Not only is it a waste of
water it is also a waste of energy to pump that water, and, it spreads all
those pesticides, fertilizers, and herbacides into the surroundin watersheds.

Until people accept personal responsibility and utilize water properly, such as
true conservation and reclaiming rain water, nothing will change.

By the way you use more water to run the dish washer than to quickly wash your
car.

Don

 

[Rocket Raley]

Boy am I glad we have well water and there has never been a water restriction here.

I have never once washed my van in the 4 years I have had it cause the mud is whats holding it together.
and once a year I might wash my ol mans Harley if I can get him off of it long enough.

Until the other day, I had never even given thought to the water hose and had left it on all summer long, cause I have 3 hoses hooked together to get to the chicken coops so I can fill their bowls up when needed.

But then I got to thinking the other day. I wonder if leaving the hose on all the time with it spraying the yard everywhere, does that make the pump work more? If the pump works more, does that cause the electric bill to go up? I still don't know. But I went and cut the water hose off.

Before you start thinking ill. We live a mile in the woods. 2 miles from the interstate. We don't live in a city or town, just a township. There aren't many people here. My ol man was saying something about a natural stream that runs under our 32 acres and he and the neighbors are talking about daming it and putting a pond in. So we apperatley have plenty of water.

So I reckon what I'm saying is, post like this is good because water shortage is something I have never really though about, and I reckon I should.

 

[jeaucamom]

I remember as a kid growing up in Marin during a water shortage and we all put bricks in our tanks of our toilets so a flush wouldn't use as much water. Kind of weird the memories that come back when a subject comes up

 

[Wildsky]

We used a bottle filled with water in the toilet tank when I was a kid.... in place of the above Brick

 

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:
I'm glad we have well water here too.

If you leave a hose on your pump will run more but the difference in electricity is small.
You'd probably never notice it.

We have had a dry summer up here. I check our well levels, especially since we have
a common well that feeds 6 families. I'm also the guy who manages it and polices water
useage. Even with a dry summer you can open our well cap and see water 20 feet
down.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a geiser in our front yard we have so much water.

Sorry to all you "can't flush our toilet people".. You should just pee in the woods.
We do that to keep away the predators.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Cathy,

We didn't get one of those notices. i wonder why? Are you in the LADWP district? Why restrict your water and not ours? (Not that i'm complaining)

Colleen

 

[johnnyjack]

just tell her to stay home more not to drive that dirty car unless she has to. that way she will help the ozone thang to. jmo