Water Wednesday

Leading by example is key. It doesn’t matter whether you are a small startup or a huge organization. Showing commitment to water conservation can encourage employees to follow suit. Consider undergoing a water conservation audit to capture current usage. Use the results to identify easy conservation options. Do another audit six months later to gauge the success of your efforts.

Company bathrooms provide a lot of conservation opportunities. Water-saving technologies, including sensor-based faucets and low-flow toilets, are a great way to reduce water usage. Be sure to also monitor for leaking faucets and toilets.

Use visual reminders to educate your teams about water conservation. Consider signage to help get the message across. Stickers in bathrooms or kitchens to turn off the tap can help conserve water.

Provide training opportunities for team members. Arm your team with the knowledge they need to create an office ‘green team’. They can be great allies to track water usage at your workplace and suggest improvements.

Who doesn’t love a fun workplace challenge? Create fun, team-building competitions related to water conservation. Which team can reduce its water usage the most within a certain time frame? Who can develop the best water reduction initiative for the office? Be sure to celebrate successes. Company-branded reusable water bottles are a great prize for the winning team.

Look for opportunities to take water education outside the office. Organize a river valley cleanup, tour a local water facility or schedule a workshop with local experts. Discuss how to use your learnings in the office.

Water coolers aren’t only a good place to catch up on bingeworthy Netflix shows. They’re also a great way to prevent excessive running of the tap. Companies can install water dispensers capable of filling large containers or jugs.

If your office has a fridge, commit to keeping a jug (or two) of cold water at all times. This way, you aren’t wasting water while waiting for the tap to turn cold.

Manage outdoor water usage. Like at home, there are several ways a workplace can reduce the amount of water it uses outside. Replace lawns with ornamental grass or other options requiring less water. Ensure your sprinklers aren’t watering lawns and gardens, not pavement. Collect rainwater to reuse for all outdoor watering needs.   

This concludes our five-part series examining water conservation tips at home and at work. Beginning next week, Water Wednesday shifts to individual stories highlighting all things water. If you have a story idea, send us a direct message on the “City of Lethbridge- City Hall” Facebook page.

Toilets are often the source of unnoticed leaks. Not only are they wasteful, they’re also expensive! A leaky toilet can waste upwards of 1,000 litres of water every day. This equates to almost $500 a year in water costs. Thankfully, as this video shows, discovering a leak is both quick and simple!

“A leaky toilet uses an immense amount of water that you’re paying for,” says Kathleen Sheppard, Executive Director of Environment Lethbridge. “Don’t forget to check all your toilets for leaks, even that one in the guest bathroom that no one uses.”

Lowering your cost-per-flush is another way to save and conserve. According to a report from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), toilets older than 20 years typically flush with 13 to 20 litres of water. Installing a WaterSense® toilet ensures no more than 4.8 litres per flush. Assuming the Hendersons each flush the toilet twice daily they could reduce their water bill and usage by more than 70 per cent.

According to Sheppard, the average shower uses almost 10 litres of water per minute. That means a typical eight-minute shower uses a whopping 80 litres of water!

If each member of the Henderson family showers once a day, that’s around $155 a year in water costs. If the Hendersons reduce their showers to six minutes, the annual price drops to around $116. And if they can each get clean in five minutes? That’s around $97 a year, a savings of more than 37 per cent!

“We all love the feeling of a nice hot shower but cutting it a few minutes short is a great way to save water,” says Sheppard. “Use a timer or a short playlist to make sure you meet your goal.”

A low flow shower head also lowers consumption. It reduces usage to approximately 7.5 litres per minute. This would result in the Hendersons paying only $72.50 a year for their daily five-minute cleansing sessions. That’s less than half their original amount!

However, let’s assume the Hendersons prefer daily baths. According to the CMHC report, a typical bath uses at least 150 litres of water. This would add up to 4,200 litres of water usage a week, removing around $290 a year from the Hendersons’ bank account. While there are exceptions, baths typically use a lot more water than showers. But if you prefer baths, try soaking in less water or consider reducing your soaks to every other day.

Using a few easy conservation methods in the family bathroom, the Hendersons could save upwards of $800 a year. They could also conserve around 315 cubic meters (that’s 315,000 litres!) of water.

Next week’s Water Wednesday will cut costs and conserve water in the Hendersons’ kitchen.

“It might seem counterintuitive, but modern dishwashers are so efficient that they actually use less water than washing by hand, as long as you fill them up,” says Kathleen Sheppard, Executive Director of Environment Lethbridge.

Handwashing dishes can use upwards of 100 litres of water per load. Let’s say the Hendersons wash breakfast and dinner dishes every day. That adds up to around 73,000 litres of water every year. That number is easily reduceable.

• Fill one sink halfway for washing and the other halfway for rinsing.
• Only using one sink? Use a dish rack for washed dishes then rinse them together with one spray of water.
• Avoid continuously running the water for rinsing.

A dishwasher is a better option. Older model dishwashers use upwards of 22 litres of water per load. Assuming one full load per day, the Hendersons’ machine would use around 8,030 litres of water every year. That’s 89 per cent less water usage than hand washing. And that number shrinks even more with an efficient dishwasher. As of July 2023, an ENERGY STAR® certified dishwasher cannot use more than 12.11 litres of water per cycle. A daily load now results in only 4,420 litres of water per year. If the Hendersons move from hand washing to an efficient dishwasher, they reduce their annual water usage (and costs!) by 94 per cent!

The Hendersons love using their garburator after every meal. But that convenience comes with a cost.

“Garbage disposals use a lot of water,” says Sheppard. “The best thing you can do is put your food waste in your green bin, which saves water and turns your food waste into compost.”

According to Sheppard, a garburator uses up to 8.5 litres of water per minute. If the Hendersons ditched their disposal, they could conserve upwards of 9,300 litres of water per year.

Reducing your faucet’s flow rate will also shrink you water bill. A standard kitchen faucet can flow at around eight litres per minute. If the Hendersons run their kitchen faucet for five minutes a day, that’s 14,600 litres of water every year. New federal standards will lower flow rates to a maximum of 6.8 litres per minute. That would conserve more than 2,100 litres of water with one faucet alone.

There are several other ways the Henderson can conserve water in their kitchen, including:

• Installing a hot water dispenser.
• Repairing faucet and plumbing leaks.
• Keeping a jug of cold water in the fridge.
• Not using water to defrost frozen foods.

These slight changes can conserve more than 80,000 litres of water. That’s a reduction of more than 83 per cent, or the amount needed to fill an average six-person hot tub around 55 times.  It would also save the Henderson family more than $110 over the course of a year.

Next week, we tackle the Hendersons’ laundry room!

Washing machines are water intensive. Modern standard washers use an average of 75.5 litres per load. Efficiently filling each load can save the Hendersons water and money. Washing full loads should be the goal, but there are other options.

“In addition to always running full loads, the other thing you can do is learn the settings on your washing machine,” says Kathleen Sheppard, Executive Director of Environment Lethbridge. “Many machines adjust the water used for the size of the load. All you have to do is program it.”

Running one full load per day would cost the Hendersons at least $36.50 a year in water alone. When you factor in other costs like energy (for hot water) and detergent, the cost-per-load is around $1.35. Add it all up, and the Hendersons are paying around $500 a year for this daily chore. They’re also using more than 27,500 litres of water.

If the Hendersons can drop to five full loads per week, they would save around $150 a year and conserve almost 8,000 litres of water.

As we’ve seen with low flow showerheads and faucets, increasing your washer’s efficiency is key. High-efficiency (HE) washers use an average of around 53 litres per load. That would reduce the Hendersons’ water use by almost 30 per cent. At five loads per week, the Hendersons would save almost $50 a year while conserving another 5,900 litres of water!

To maximize water efficiency, the Hendersons could explore a front-loading HE washer. The most efficient models use as little as 26.5 litres per load. Let’s do more math. If the Hendersons move from seven loads per week with a modern standard washer, to five loads per week with a front-loading HE machine, they would save $375 while using only 6,890 litres of water. That means their annual at-home laundry bills drops to $125 and they conserve an amazing 20,600 litres of water. That’s enough to fill their summertime kiddie pool more than 100 times!

Grease. Grass. Food. Oil. Makeup. All things that can wreak havoc on our clothing.

“There’s nothing more frustrating than pulling an item from the washing machine and seeing a stain,” says Sheppard. “Pretreating makes sure you only have to wash items once. This saves water and extends the life of your clothes.”

The key to pretreating a stain is quick action. There are several ways to attack a fresh stain. Some can be removed using home remedies like a cold-water soak or a combination of vinegar and baking soda. Tougher stains may need a few squirts of commercial pre-treater. Whichever method you choose, pretreating a stain can help ensure it’s removed in a single wash.

There are several other ways the Henderson can conserve water in their laundry room, including:

• Re-using towels and wearing clothes more than once. You can use a shower towel multiple times before it needs a wash. And if you aren’t playing in the dirt, hang your jeans and t-shirt back in the closet.
• Avoid using the ‘extra rinse’ feature. If you use the correct amount of detergent, your machine’s default rinse cycle should suffice.
• Check for leaks. As we’ve seen in the bathroom and kitchen, leaks are costly. Regularly examine your washer’s hoses.

Next week, we will examine ways the Hendersons can conserve water and save money in their yard.

A standard oscillating lawn sprinkler can use up to 1,800 litres of water every hour. If you water three times per week, that's about 21,600 litres a month. Over a full summer, that number jumps to almost 70,000 litres. That removes more than $90 from the Hendersons’ summertime fun budget. So how do they avoid it?

Simply put: water less.

“Most lawns are overwatered,” says Kathleen Sheppard, Executive Director of Environment Lethbridge. “If you must water your lawn, use a timer to limit the amount of water you’re using.”

Overwatering the lawn can rot the roots, killing the grass. A wet, muddy lawn can also suffocate. If you aren’t sure whether your lawn is hydrated, walk across it. If the grass rebounds when you step on it, it’s likely well-hydrated and doesn’t need water.

Watering at the right time is also key. The Hendersons should avoid watering in the heat of the day. The ideal times to water are before 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m. This can save up to 50 per cent of the water that might otherwise be lost to evaporation. And, of course, watch out for southern Alberta wind. It can carry away most of the water meant for your lawn and garden. Finally, take advantage of free water. Keep the sprinklers off when Mother Nature provides rain.

Use mulch to keep water in the soil and prevent evaporation. Spread mulch around the base of trees, shrubs, perennials and even in your vegetable garden. A good layer of mulch can reduce the Hendersons’ watering needs by up to 55 per cent.

“Mulching is one of the best ways to keep water in the soil,” says Sheppard. “For your lawn, grasscycling, or leaving grass cutting on your lawn after you mow, provides the same benefits and adds nutrients to your soil.”

Mulch comes in many forms. Some organic options include wood chips, straw and leaves. Inorganic mulches include rock and gravel. Plan to use between three to six inches of mulch to maximize its effectiveness.

The City of Lethbridge offers free much to residents. It can be picked up at Peenaquim Park, while supplies are available.

A freshly mowed lawn may look and smell great, but it’s not ideal for water consumption. A longer lawn shades the soil, helping retain moisture. Mowing less can also allow the roots to dive deeper into the soil for water and nutrients. The ideal height for most southern Alberta grass is between 7.5 and 10 centimeters.

Choosing a drought-resistant grass is also important in southern Alberta’s climate. Look for grass seeds that include Tall Fescue, Fine Fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass. Drought-tolerant grasses not only survive dry spells – they can even retain their green colour! Planting the grass in early fall or spring will help speed up seed germination, ensuring a healthier lawn.

There is an easy opportunity for the Hendersons to conserve water and save money outdoors. The combination of a longer, drought-resistant lawn and the use of mulch could reduce their watering to one day per week. That would conserve around 46,000 litres of water and save the family upwards of $60 over the course of a summer.

The Hendersons use other water-smart methods to conserve water in their yard:

• Collecting rainwater for use in their garden.
• Watering the base of their plants, rather than pouring the water on top.
• Hydrozoning their garden: grouping plants with similar water requirements together, with plants requiring less water placed further away from the water source.
• Sweeping outdoor areas instead of hosing them down.

Next week, we take the Hendersons’ water conservation efforts into their workplace.