Santa Clara County serves close to 2 million residents and as the second largest county in the Bay they have joined the list of counties requiring its residents to restrict water usage. Residents will now be required to reduce water usage by 15%.
Counties not requiring residents to decrease usage, are asking that you voluntarily reduce your consumption and practice water conservation. For example the Contra Costa and Alameda Water Districts don't have any water restrictions in place, but they ask users to monitor usage, voluntarily reduce and provide tips on how to reduce like not watering your lawn between 9am-5pm.
Click Here for a list of Bay Area Counties and their current water restrictions.
Whether your county has mandatory water restrictions in place or if they're simply asking you to voluntary reduce consumption it's just a good idea to incorporate some of these tips into your daily life.
Tips on Water Conservation:
- Check plumbing and repair leaky and old pipes and faucets.
- Only wash full loads of clothes and dishes, while cutting back on number of loads you run per week
- Reduce shower/bathing times
- Don't run the water while brushing your teeth
- Turn off running water when not being used
- Water plants less frequently or think about washing your car on your lawn so that you can water it at the same time.
- Capture water you use to wash off fruits and veggies and recycle it to water other plants