Drought Alert!!! How You Can Help – Water Conservation Tips

July 7, 2010 by Chase Pacific

Combined with most cities in San Diego County, many San Diego Property Management companies like Chase Pacific have adopted a four-stage drought response plan.  San Diego County has already declared a Stage-One Alert. Because of the lack of significant snowfall this winter and rainfall this spring, area residents can expect to advance to higher alert levels soon unless serious measures are taken by all of us to conserve the water we have available.  We all need to do our part to conserve our water sources to avoid having to move to a higher level of alert.  The alert levels are as follows:

Stage One – requires a 10% voluntary reduction in the amount of water that is used per household.

Stage Two – requires a 20% mandatory reduction in the amount of water that is used per household.

Stage Three – requires a 40% mandatory reduction in the amount of water that is used per household.

Stage Four – requires a greater than 40% mandatory reduction in the amount of water that is used per household.

Here are some specific tips for conserving water in all of our homes and businesses:

1)      If your toilet(s) run constantly, please notify us as your local property manager so that we can address the issue quickly and implement necessary repairs.

2)      When appropriate, drop your tissue into the trash can instead of flushing it down the drain.  This practice will help to conserve as much as 1.5 to 3.5 gallons per day.

3)      Teach your kids to turn off each faucet following each use.  This will help avoid unnecessary waste of our precious water resources.

4)      Turn the faucet off in the bathroom while brushing your teeth or shaving.  This could save 25-50 gallons of water each month.

5)      Shorten showers by a minute or two per shower.  This can save approximately 150 gallons of water each month.

6)      Turn off the water while you wash your hair.  This could save an additional 150 gallons of water each month.

7)      Soak pots and pans instead of letting the water run while they are being scraped.

8)      Use the garbage disposal sparingly.

9)      Keep a pitcher of cold water in the refrigerator instead of running the tap.  This ensures that every amount of water is being used efficiently and not going down the drain.

10)   Don’t thaw your food by running water over it.  Use the “thaw” mode on your microwave oven or defrost food in the refrigerator for water efficiency and food safety.

11)   Run the dishwasher and washing machine only when they’re full.  This can save over 500 gallons of water each month.

12)   Wash clothes only in cold water.  This saves on both water and energy.

13)   Report broken pipes, open hydrants nearby your home and errant sprinkler heads to us as your property manager.  We will take care of the issue immediately.

Chase Pacific Property Management along with many other San Diego county Property Management companies is committed to educating our residents, owners and vendors on practicing appropriate water conservation techniques.   Please let us know if you have any questions about these tips or if you have additional ideas on how we all can be more water-wise!!!

Category: Misc. Tips for Owners And Tenants