Less blue — more green

Ways to go green and still keep some in your wallet

By ERIN ROLL | Staff Writer

June 30, 2008

The summer months are the peak for water use, and the water bills prove it.

Homeowners want to keep their lawns lush and green despite scorching temperatures.

The piles of sweaty clothes in the laundry room reappear each day, and the layer of dust on the car keeps coming back no matter how many times you wash it.

All that extra water use puts strain on the environment and on your water bill. And every gallon can count.

For instance, James City County in Virginia restricts lawn watering to three days a week, depending on the address. If a resident there were to water his or her lawn for an hour each day, that's about $46.64 of the quarterly bill. Cut that back to 45 minutes, and you have saved $11.66.

Or let's talk showers — the quarterly bill for a resident taking a 10-minute shower each day would be about $10.39. Cut that shower in half, and that's a savings of $5.20.

For users of Newport News Waterworks, which bills for two months at a time, the savings is $4.95 (for a three-month bill, a savings of $7.41).

So it is possible to go green and still keep the green in your lawn and your wallet.

Here are some tips — primarily from the "Water — Use It Wisely" Web site — to conserve water, both during the summer and all year:

Indoor water use

• Repair leaky faucets, pipes and fixtures.

• Run only full loads in dishwashers and washing machines. If your dishwasher is a recent model, don't rinse the dishes first.

• Try designating one cup or glass for drinking, to reduce the number of times you have to do dishes.

• Rinse produce in a pan of water or a filled sink then reuse the water on houseplants.

• Don't run water over frozen food to thaw it.

• Turn off the water when brushing your teeth, lathering your hands or shaving.

• Take short showers (less than five minutes).

• Reuse your towels and washcloths as much as possible.

• Install low-flow shower heads.

• Put a toilet dam, a brick or a plastic bottle full of water in your toilet tank to reduce the amount of water needed to flush. If you are buying a new toilet, select a low-flow model.