COUNTYWIDE : Water Conservation Suggestions Offered

Water conservation is becoming more important as the drought continues in Ventura County, with many water districts encouraging voluntary efforts and the city of Ventura moving to mandatory rationing.

There’s one sure way for residents of Ventura to avoid a steep surcharge under water rationing, and for other county residents to help maintain water supplies--conserve every possible drop. Here are some tips, most of which were supplied by Llana Sherman, the city’s water conservation coordinator:

Outdoors (where residents of single-family homes use most of their water), avoid rigid watering schedules. Never water a lawn until it looks like it needs it. Avoid watering on windy days or at midday, when evaporation is highest.

Train all your plants to develop deep roots (enabling them to use moisture deep in the ground) by watering thoroughly but infrequently. Use a drip or other low-volume irrigation system.

Adjust sprinklers to water plants, not sidewalks, driveways, patios and the street. That’s not only wasteful, it’s a violation of Ventura’s Water Waste Ordinance, enacted in 1989.

Use several inches of mulch around plants. This saves water and also discourages water-wasting weeds.

Make an earth basin around shrubs and small trees to form a “water pool,” reducing runoff.

Encourage your gardener to water efficiently--and never to “sweep” leaves with a hose.

Inside your home, remember that almost 80% of indoor water is used in the bathroom, mostly by toilet flushing. You’ll save a lot of water if you install ultra low-volume toilets, which use 1.6 gallons or less per flush.

Check for toilet leaks by putting a few drops of food coloring in your toilet tank. Don’t flush for 15 minutes. If some of the coloring has seeped through to the bowl, there’s a leak that needs to be fixed.

Install a plastic displacement bag (available at City Hall or by calling the city’s water hot line, 652-4567) or toilet dam in standard toilet tanks. Don’t put a brick in the tank: It could disintegrate and cause plumbing problems.

Use a wastebasket, not the toilet, to throw away trash. One flush of a standard toilet uses 3.5 to 7 gallons of fresh water.

Install low-flow shower heads and faucet aerators. The latter reduce faucet water usage by 25% to 50%.

Shorten your showering time by five minutes. When you bathe, use only a partially filled tub.

Take a “shipboard shower”: Wet your body, turn off the water, lather, then turn the water back on to rinse.

Repair dripping faucets. This usually involves nothing more than replacing worn washers.

Turn off the water while brushing your teeth. Plug the sink when shaving.

In the kitchen (where about 12% of indoor water is used), plug the sink when you wash dishes by hand. Scrape dishes clean instead of rinsing them under running water. Wash only full loads in your dishwasher.

Keep a bottle of water in the refrigerator for cold drinks.

Wash only full loads in your washing machine.

Rinse soiled rags in a bucket of water instead of cleaning them under running water.

Use a sponge mop. It uses less water than a string mop.