Got water? We do. It’s everywhere we look!  Just gaze out over our endless Pacific Ocean, our numerous wetlands, lagoons, bays & estuaries. We’re flush with water!

“A round of water for everyone, it’s on the house!”

And it’s not just on the house, it’s all over the patio. It’s running down the driveway and making splatters on the back of our legs as we slog through it. It’s mushing up the flower beds and getting water stains all over our artsy wooden fences. It’s being forced upon us at restaurants and creating more work at hotels… We have too much water, right?

On June 1, 2009, San Diego County  effectively moved up to Alert Level 2: Drought Condition – Mandatory Restrictions

What in the Fiji water happened!?! It’s not like we’re all of a sudden drinking our recommended 8 glasses of water a day. On a grand scale of Level 1 -through 4 (4 being really really bad), we’re now at Level 2. So who is pilfering our water!?!

“Habit & Co is siphoning off our reserves…”

We fall into habits. We hit the same stores, end up at the same restaurants, date the same types, wear the same styles… When it comes to the habit of obliviously wasting water by the gallons per second, we need to snap out of it! 

“There are millions of us… small changes DO make a big difference“

Turn the water off while you brush your teeth… Avoid the morning stupor where you mindlessly check your skin tone as the water runs down the drain. At night, you can still brush and daydream, reviewing everything that did, didn’t or should have happened… just turn off the water.

Take shorter showers… Is fire hose pressure really necessary? Ladies, if you turn down the shower when you shave your legs, some of your shaving creme may actually stay on your legs long enough to give you that super smooth shave you crave. You men, do you really need to stay in the shower long enough to resemble the California Raisin dude? Got stiff muscles? Soak in a bath. You’ll save water and relax those pecs.

Get a broom, get some cardio… Dirty patio? Sweep it up, don’t hose it down. You can space out sweeping just as good as hosing. And, it’s a perfect time to mentally go over all those items you didn’t get to while brushing your teeth.

Can I get you some water? Avoid the watery crop circle on the table by refusing the offering if you’re not going to drink it. Didn’t get the offer? Don’t stiff your server if they don’t ply you with a glass  as soon as you’re seated.  Many restaurants are doing their part by serving water only upon request.

Water the plants, not the sidewalk… Level 2 mandates watering just three days a week, according to the provided schedule.  Got a rogue sprinkler head? Turn it around and stop watering the concrete, the patio, the neighbors walls, your kids…

Sweat house labor… Hotels won’t wash a duvet until it can stand up on its own, but they’ll wash the towels & sheets if they so much as look wrinkled. We don’t wash our linens daily at home, so tell the hotel, “not today please”. Millions of rooms times millions of washes daily – the water usage is staggering.

Workin’ at the car wash… You could wash your car on your lawn or leave it to the pro’s.  Anything else is a water waste. Newer car-wash facilities must recycle the water that they use. A word of caution… refuse the smelly tree shaped rear-view mirror dangler…

Need more incentive to conserve?

  • First you get a warning letter…
  • Then Citations ($100, $250, $500, $750, and $1,000)
  • Next a Notice of Violation (Civil Penalties up to $2,500 per day per violation)
  • Maybe get a referral to the City Attorney for Civil or Criminal prosecution
  • Shut off of water service (NO water for YOU!)

Related topics & links:

Images: ©iStockphoto.com