In-home water conservation

As the pressure to send water south continues, North State residents should consider how to reduce household use. A vast majority of household water flows in the bathroom through toilets (26.7 percent), showers (16.8 percent), leaks (13.7 percent) and baths (1.7 percent). Here are some conservation tips from Amy Vickers’ Handbook of Water Use:

• Check for leaks, install low-flow shower heads and more-efficient toilets.

• Take shorter showers and fewer baths.

• In the kitchen, don’t rinse dishes before putting them in the dishwasher and wash only full loads. (Dishwashers use less water than doing them by hand.)

• In the laundry room, wash only full loads.