Los Angeles: Conserve!

According to the Environmental News Service (and we can all attest to this by living here), California is in its third year of drought. In fact, reservoir levels are at their lowest since 1978, only a third full. In Los Angeles, we may even be facing a downright water shortage of 12% this summer.

The LADWP is telling us to conserve 24/7 and Mayor Villaraigosa has a twenty year plan to get us back on track, the first phase of which is in place now. Not complying with the new ordinance will even cost you--for every drip over a 15% reduction in your water use, you'll pay a premium rate for from the LADWP.

Here's what we all need to know about from Water Conservation Ordinance:

We CANNOT:

*Use water to wash any hard surfaces such as sidewalks, walkways, driveways
or parking areas, unless flushing is needed to protect health and safety;
*Use water to clean, fill or maintain decorative fountains unless the water is
part of a recirculating system;
*Serve water to customers in eating establishments unless requested;
*Permit leaks from any pipe or fixture to go unrepaired;
*Allow for the washing of a vehicle without using a hose with a self-closing,
shut-off device;
*Permit watering during periods of rain; 
*Irrigate landscaping between the hours of
9 a.m. and 4 p.m.;
*Water outdoors for more than 15 minutes per watering station, 10 minutes for
other irrigation systems;
*Allow runoff onto streets and gutters from excessive watering... 

To take a proactive approach, here are a few ideas for

what we CAN do to conserve this precious resource:

*Fix leaky faucets.

*Use a broom or rake instead of a hose to clean off driveways.

*Take your car to a car wash that assures you it's recycling and treating its water (more on truly CLEAN car washes here).

*Install low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators (we've got you covered).

*Run only full loads of laundry (cooler water will save energy too, as will sun-drying).

*Turn the faucet off when you brush your teeth. You'll save up to five gallons of water per day, depending on your brushing habits.
*Reduce your shower time--even cutting back one minute will save five to seven gallons of water every time! (We've got the 4-Minute Shower Timer in the store to help you keep your commitment.)
*Most of our water use is outside, so plant drought-tolerant and native plants in your garden that don't need a lot of water to flourish.
*If you have a lawn you can't part with or are growing edible goodies, make sure to water in the early morning or evening before any moisture is lost to evaporation.

Let us know in the comments if you've got any more water-saving wisdom to share!

Water Conservation Ordinance

The LADWP is getting serious about saving water these days.  If you didn't already know, we want to share with you that there is a new conservation ordinance in effect.

It's great to know about because, well, it helps save our city's precious resource.  It's also good to know about because fines are in effect for certain water no-no's.

Here's a rundown of the H2O DON'TS:

*Don't use water to wash down hard surfaces like driveways.  (Brooms will do the job and provide a workout at the same time.)

*Don't serve water to restaurant customers unless they ask for it.

*Don't water your yard during the rain.

And DO's:

*Fix leaky faucets to save 20 gallons of water drip, drip, dripping down your drain.

*Adjust your sprinklers (if you have them) so there's no water wasted on the pavement--that'll save 500 gallons a month and prevent runoff.

*Run only full loads of laundry.

You can read the whole list here.

And if you own your own washing machine, you can get a $250 LADWP rebate for a new, high-efficiency model that can save 50% of the water you use in a year on the most water-heavy task inside the house.  Find out how.