Water Conservation

Water conservation is a topic that comes up every summer, as water bills tend to increase. As a City, we’d like to provide you with some helpful tips and ideas to conserve water, both inside and outside your home. 

Water Conservation in the Home 

Toilets 

  • Don’t use the toilet as an ashtray or wastebasket 
  • Put plastic bottles or a float booster in your toilet tank 
  • Purchase an adjustable toilet flapper 
  • Install low or dual flush models (look for the WaterSense label) 

Laundry 

  • Wash only full loads of clothes 
  • Consider a High Efficiency (HE) washing machine 

Shower 

  • Install water-saving showerheads, shower timers, and low-flow faucet aerators (look for the WaterSense label) 
  • Decrease the duration of you shower 

Faucets and Sinks 

  • Turn off the water when brushing your teeth and shaving 
  • Minimize use of kitchen sink garbage disposal units 
  • Opt for the dishwasher over hand washing, full loads only 
  • When washing dishes by hand, don’t leave the water running for rinsing 
  • Keep a bottle of drinking water in the fridge

Leaks 

  • Check faucets and pipes for leaks 
  • Check your toilets for leaks 
  • Use your water meter to check for hidden water leaks 

How to See if Your House has a Leak 

  • To determine if you have a leak, please allow for 30–60 minutes during which time no water should be used on the property. 
  • Find your water meter, usually located in the front of the house near the street. 
  • Remove the lid and write down the numbers indicated on the meter at the start of the test. 
  • Return to check the meter reading after 30–60 minutes have passed. 
  • If the numbers haven’t changed, you do not have a leak. You’re done. 
  • If the numbers have changed, close the shutoff valves under all toilets in the house, and repeat steps 1–4. 
  • If the numbers have not changed after shutting off the toilet valves, you may have a running toilet that should be serviced.  If you determine that you have a leak that is not related to your toilet, you may want to consult a plumber to locate the leak.  Remember, the City only offers leak adjustments once the repair has been made and only for one month of consumption.  Leak adjustments are only provided once in a 12 month period. 

Water Conservation Outside of the Home 

  • Don’t run the hose while washing your car 
  • Use a broom, not a hose to clean driveways and sidewalks 
  • Cover swimming pools to reduce evaporation 
  • Check for leaks in pipes, hoses, faucets and couplings 

Water Conservation in the Yard, Garden, Lawns and Shrubs 

  • Train your lawn to drink less by watering your lawn only when it needs it and not more than twice per week. 
  • Keep your irrigation cycles short 6-8 minutes per cycle for spray heads, and 12-14 minutes for rotors. 
  • Cycle and Soak to Avoid Runoff. Irrigate in shorter bursts to give water a chance to soak in, and allow 30 minutes or more between cycles. 
  • Water before 10AM to save water and maintain plant health 
  • Do not water between the hours of 10AM and 6PM 
  • Tune up your Irrigation System. Fix Leaks or damaged sprinkler heads and make sure they are aimed at the landscape and lawn not the sidewalk, street or driveway. 
  • Use efficient watering systems or drip irrigation for trees, shrubs, and flowerbeds. 
  • Give your sprinklers a rest on windy days. 
  • Install rain or freeze sensors. They trigger automatic systems to shut off during downpours or when the temperatures dip below freezing. 
  • Plant drought-resistant lawns, shrubs and plants native to Texas. 
  • Put a layer of mulch around trees and plants 
  • Raise your mower and allow your lawn to grow taller.  This will allow the lawn to hold moisture and grow deeper roots.  A mowing height of 3 inches is a good all-around height.

Water Conservation Tips for New Homeowners 

Leaks

  • Even the smallest leak can waste thousands of gallons of water a year. To see if there’s a problem, read your water meter when no water is being use, and then look at it again after a few hours to see if the gauge has changed. Fixing it could be as simple as replacing a faucet washer or could indicate a more serious problem such as an unseen leak in a pipe. 

Sprinklers

  • Check your sprinkler settings. Prior to the sale of a house, it is likely the sprinkler run times and frequencies were increased to help bring the yard to a perfect green. Check the current settings to make sure you are not overwatering. 

Questions? 

Give our utility billing office a call at 817-491-2411. For more water conservation tips, please visit the following websites: 

Water is Awesome

Save Tarrant Water