Water Conservation

Water is one of our most precious resources. We use water for many of our daily activities, from household chores to recreational activities. But sometimes we waste water without realizing it.

Did you know the average Canadian uses approximately 335 liters of water a day! Less than 10% of that relates to food and hydration.

To make sure we have enough water all year round, it is important that we use the water we have available wisely! Here are some helpful tips on how to conserve water inside and out:

• Turn it off! When brushing your teeth shaving or showering, turn off the tap.
• Install low flow showerheads and set a timer. The average shower length in Canada is 5 minutes. Each minute uses approximately 9.5 liters of water with a standard showerhead. That’s just under 50 liters of water down the drain per shower.
• Switch to low flush toilets. Each flush with a standard toilet uses 3.5 gallons of water.
• Check for leaks in the toilet, faucets, and pipes.
• Use a two-sink system when washing dishes by hand. Fill one sink soapy water and another with clean water to rinse your dishes.
• Do full loads of laundry (and use cold water to save energy!)
• Keep a container of drinking water in the fridge, instead of running the tap until the water reaches your preferred temperature. The average kitchen faucet allows 4-8 litres of water per minute to flow.

• Collect rainwater to use later in your garden.
• Slow the water by using your landscape to divert water from rain and your eaves trough towards your lawn or garden instead of going straight to the drain.
• Turn it off! Make sure you aren’t leaving the garden hose running if you aren’t using it.
• Check for leaks at the faucet and along the garden house.
• Plant drought-friendly and/or native plants.
• If you need to water your garden or lawn, do so early in the morning.
• Use a kiddie pool instead of a sprinkler. Depending on the size of the hose you use, you could be wasting between 2385-7040 liters of water per hour using your sprinkler (that’s 40-117 liters per minute!). The average kiddie pool uses 7033 liters.