NC Department of Crime Control and Public Safety

Drought

Droughts are a weather-related natural disaster. They are defined as, “an extended period of deficient rainfall relative to the average a region.”

Droughts can occur almost anywhere and affect vast regions for months or years.

Because a drought can deplete water supplies, the following water-saving measures are offered.

Water Conservation Website

Water ConservationTips:

Read your water bill and water meter, and use the minimum amount of water for every activity you do.

Kitchen

Washing dishes by hand is the best way to conserve water. But, don't leave the water running for rinsing. If you have two sinks, fill one with rinse water. If you only have one sink, use a spray device or short blasts instead of letting the water run. Saves 200 to 500 gallons a month.
Use the least amount of detergent possible. This minimizes rinse water needed. Saves 50 to 150 gallons a month.
Use a tub to rinse dishes - then use the rinse water to flush the toilet or water outside.
Use the rinse water to lightly wash out recyclable food containers.
Do not leave the water running while rinsing dishes, You can save four gallons a minute. Don't rinse dirty dishes before loading into dishwater; scrape clean and let the machine do the rest.
Run your dishwasher only when full and use the “water-saver” setting, if available. You could save 1,000 gallons a month.
Use only one glass for your drinking water each day. It will minimize use of the dishwasher.
Keep a pitcher of cold water in the fridge, instead of running tap water until it is cold.
Drink water instead of soft drinks, tea, coffee or alcohol. Your body uses water more efficiently.
Don't thaw frozen food under running water. Don't let the faucet run while you clean vegetables. Rinse them in a filled sink or pan.
Use water in which you boiled food (if not saving for soup) to water plants
Don't use a garbage disposal. It's best to compost.
Check for leaks, indoors and out, and repair quickly. Fixing a leak can save 500 gallons each month. A dripping faucet can waste 3,600 gallons a year.

Bathroom

Take shorter showers, less than five minutes. Showering is one of the top uses of residential water in the United States, representing approximately 17 percent of residential indoor water use.
Shower enough to get wet, turn off water and soap up, then turn on the water to rinse.
Capture tap water. While you wait for hot water to come down the pipes, catch the flow in a watering can to use later on house plants or your garden, or to flush your toilet. Saves 200 to 300 gallons a month.
Do not leave the water running while shaving or brushing teeth. Fill the bottom of the sink with a few inches of water to rinse your razor. Saves three gallons each day.
If you hear running water in your toilet tank, adjust the leaky float valve or replace the faulty hardware.
Check for leaks by dropping a small amount of food coloring in the upper tank. If color appears in the bowl, you have a leak.
Install faucet aerators and or water-saving showerheads. Faucet aerators increase spray velocityand reduce splash.
Install a water-filed plastic jug or a plastic bag weighted with pebbles in your toilet tank to reduce the water used per flush. If you use a brick, put it in a sealable plastic bag to prevent it from crumbling in your tank. Displacing water in this manner allows you to use less water with each flush. Saves 5 to 10 gallons a day.
Don't use your toilet as a wastebasket.
Don't flush every time.

Laundry

Use front-load washing machines. A front load uses up to 60% less water and up to 68% less energy than conventional top loading machines, saving on electricity, too.
Run only full loads in the washing machine. It will save 300 to 800 gallons per month.

Outdoors

Limit car washing. Use a bucket and a hose with an automatic shut-off nozzle, or use a commercial car wash that recycles water.
Check for and repair leaky garden taps, hose connections and sprinkler valves.
Collect natural water with a rain barrel for car washing or lawn and garden watering.
Add compost and other organic matter to your soil to improve its water-holding capacity. Water your lawn only when it needs it.
Water lawns in the early morning or late evening, not in the heat of the day, to prevent evaporation. Watering your lawn in short cycles is better than one long cycle.
Adjust your sprinklers so that water lands on your lawn or garden where it belongs—not on the sidewalk, driveway or gutter. Saves 500 gallons per month.
Avoid watering on windy days. There's too much evaporation. Can waste up to 300 gallons in one watering.
Water slowly, thoroughly, and as infrequently as possible to promote deep roots and healthy plants.
Hold your garden hose close to the roots of plants so that there's little waste and evaporative loss.
Add compost and other organic matter to your soil to improve its water holding capacity. Choose plants that don't require a lot of water.
Mulch all plant beds to reduce evaporation, weeds, and soil temperature.
Position sprinklers so that they do not water pavement.
Use rinse water from the house to water plants in or near the house.
Use a broom, not a hose to clean driveways, sidewalks, deck or patio.
Install rain gutters and collecting water from downspouts also helps reduce water use. Install a drip irrigation system for shrubs, vegetable gardens, flower beds or pots and save up to 50% in outside water use. It's easy, inexpensive and an efficient way to water.
Trickle irrigation and drip irrigation systems help reduce water use and meet the needs of plants. With these methods, very small amounts of water are supplied to the base of the plants. Since the water is applied directly to the soil, rather than onto the plant, evaporation from leaf surfaces is reduced.
Don't mow too low. Keep lawns two to three inches high to prevent them from drying out too quickly. Longer grass means less evaporation. Saves 500 to 1,500 gallons each month.
Cover your swimming pool to cut evaporative loss. Postpone any non-essential pool repairs if they require draining and refilling of the pool.
A typical family of four uses 640 gallons of water a day.

AVERAGE WATER USAGE

Brushing teeth		3 gallons
Cooking		5 gallons
Dishwasher		15 gallons per load
Shower		40 gallons every 10 minutes
Toilet		28 gallons per person
Clothes washer		45 gallons per load
Hosing driveway		150 gallons
Washing car		150 gallons