After all the flooding we've had this spring, we're now at the other end of the scale - hot and dry. It's a good time to think about saving water. With increased suburban sprawl and growing water usage, the demand for Lake Michigan water keeps increasing.
Want to reduce flooding? Try rain barrels - this also means that you use less municipal water for watering your garden and lawn and put less back into the system that needs to be processed. Removing concrete and asphalt and replacing it with stone or concrete pavers in a gravel bed, or permeable pavement, can significantly reduce the amount of runoff that goes into the streets and the sewer system.
And how can you reduce water usage, aside from obvious things like fixing drippy faucets and not running the water while brushing your teeth?
When you're running water waiting for your shower to heat up, put a bucket under the spigot. If you have a two handle set-up, you can run that water at a trickle instead of full force. You'll get hot water just as fast. Save the water to use for watering your plants or flushing your toilet. If you use a dehumidifier in your basement, save that water for the same uses. You can also use it for watering your compost if you have a compost bin.
Got other ideas? Feel free to share them in comments.
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