- Home
- Government
- Departments
- Public Works
- Water and sewer utilities
- Water conservation
Water conservation
Water conservation kits are available at no charge to Maple Grove residents. The kit contains easily installed items used in faucets and toilets to conserve daily household water use. If you would like a kit or more information, feel free to email Public Works.
- Toilet flushing consumes nearly half of the daily household consumption using about 5-7 gallons per flush.
- Check your toilets for leaks; a leak wastes more than 100 gallons of water per day.
- If you think there is a leak, put a few drops of food coloring in the tank. If the bowl water shows color without flushing, there is a leak, and repairs are needed.
- Most new toilets use about 3½ gallons per flush.
- Toilet dams save about two gallons of water per flush.
- Bathing usually consumes the second greatest quantity of water.
- Taking a bath uses more water than taking an average shower.
- Long showers waste five to ten gallons of water per day.
- Install water-saving showerheads and don't turn the shower on until you are ready to step in.
- Turn the water off while you are shaving, brushing your teeth, or washing your face.
- Use an electric razor.
- When buying a washing machine, look for models with water or energy saving controls.
- Adjust your washing machine level for the size of the load of clothes that you are washing.
- When washing dishes by hand, use the drain stopper in the sink and only turn water back on to rinse the dishes.
- Add ¼ to ½ cup of vinegar to your wash water, this will cut down the grease faster and better than hot water alone.
- Only run your dishwasher with a full load. Each load uses about 25 gallons of water, so make sure each load counts.
- Don't run water when peeling vegetables; rinse them afterward.
- Keep a bottle of drinking water in the refrigerator to have cool water on hand.
- Check faucets and pipes for leaks; many leaks can be repaired with inexpensive washers.
- Check your water softener to be sure it is not leaking or cycling more than it should be.
Thanks to the University of Minnesota Extension for providing the tips below for residential lawn care in an effort to conserve water, one of our most valuable resources.
On average, three times more water is used during the summer than in the winter in the Twin Cities, and much of this water is used outdoors. If you own an irrigation system or water your lawn with portable sprinklers, you can reduce your overall water use by implementing some practical strategies:
- Pay attention to the weather. During a Minnesota summer, we may see heavy periods of rainfall followed by extended periods of drought. Homeowners with lawns should adjust irrigation practices accordingly. Operating irrigation controllers in manual mode is one way to monitor and cut down on water use, rather than using an automated schedule.
- Select turfgrass species that use less water and can tolerate drought. Choice of grass species will impact irrigation requirements. Traditional turfgrass species for Minnesota include Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, fine fescue, and tall fescue. The fescue species offer the best drought tolerance potential.
- Adjust irrigation programs to conserve water. To encourage rooting and drought tolerance, lawns should be irrigated infrequently (one time or less per week) with a sufficient volume of water (up to 0.5 inches). Set irrigation programs or sprinklers to water during the morning hours, because daytime irrigation is often lost through evaporation or wind deflection.
- Implement water-saving technologies. Rain sensors connected to irrigation controllers are vital to conserving water. There's no need for an automatic sprinkler system to be used when it's raining.
- Conduct an audit on your irrigation system. Irrigation auditing is one great way to conserve water. Irrigation contractors will often perform this service for you if you have a contract with them. Auditing an irrigation system includes three basic steps: 1) checking system components including sprinklers, valves, and controllers, 2) conducting a performance test, and 3) programming the controller.