8 Things You Can Do Right Now To Help Conserve Water in Minnesota

When I was a kid growing up in the 70's and 80's, I remember hearing a lot about conserving water. I don't hear much about it anymore. I can LOOK for information about it, but I don't know that my kids have heard much about it; other than what I may have taught them. Sometimes I think that I haven't taught them about conservation.

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Driving by areas of our river, and seeing how little water we have right now, really makes a person think about conserving. When I found these simple tips that we can all work on to help conserve water, I thought; this is something I can share that might actually make a difference.

We can conserve water together by just doing these simple things that I found on the city of St. Cloud's webpage.

FIX RUNNING TOILETS

Do you have one of those toilets that leaks and runs constantly?  It would be  a great idea to fix it, or replace it. This doesn't take much time, and if you don't know how to do it, you can always find a licensed plumber that can get the job done.

TURN OFF TAP WATER WHEN BRUSHING YOUR TEETH

Do you let the water run constantly as you stand there and brush your teeth? Think about shutting the water off until it's time to rinse. If each one of us would do that, think of how much water we would save.

TAKE A SHOWER INSTEAD OF A BATH

I'm guilty of taking baths; however, I do think that if you take baths, don't fill the tub all the way. If you take a shower, get in and out as quickly as you can. You can also turn the water off when you are lathering up or shampooing your hair to save even more.

ONLY WASH CLOTHES WHEN YOU HAVE A FULL LOAD

Laundry haters rejoice. Don't wash a load of laundry until you nave a full load to wash.

ONLY RUN YOUR DISHWASHER WHEN IT IS FULL

I run my dishwasher once a day; but I have a family of four. If it's just you, you may only have to run yours once a week. Run it as little as possible. Remember, using a dishwasher is typically more efficient than washing dishes by hand every day.

REPLACE APPLIANCES WITH WATER EFFICIENT APPLIANCES

I'm not saying we can all afford to throw out our old appliances and get new ones tomorrow; but when you DO need a new appliance, consider getting something that is conservation friendly.

WATER YOUR YARD LESS FREQUENTLY

My yard doesn't look great right now; however, if you do water, they say you should water less frequently, but water deeply.

ADOPT A STORM DRAIN NEAR YOU

I live in St. Cloud have have adopted four storm drains near my home. You simply check them from time to time, and remove debris that may be blocking the drain; this could be leaves, garbage or soil. Throw it away, and help our systems work better.