Top water saving tips for American households

With many water suppliers expecting to face water availability problems in the 21^st century, water conservation offers a cost-effective and environmentally benign way to address these challenges as opposed to capturing, transporting, and treating new supplies.

Co-authored by Benjamin D. Inskeep and Shahzeen Z. Attari, "The Water Short List: The Most Effective Action U.S. Households Can Take to Curb Water Use," was published in the July/August issue of Environmentmagazine.

"We find that the average household can reduce their indoor water use by up to 45% (70 gallons per household per day)," co-author Shahzeen Z. Attari said. The results of the study, Attari said, are presented throughout the article in an easy-to-use, ranked water short list.

Households are encouraged to reduce water usage to save money on water bills, minimize their environmental footprint, and do their part in contributing to conservation goals during times of shortage.

The top five most effective actions to save water indoors, according to the article, are installing low-flush toilets, using a water-efficient clothes washing machine, reducing shower time to an average of five minutes, washing full loads of clothes, and reducing toilet flushes by 25%.

Attari said the water short list identifies effective actions households can take to decrease water use and increase the sustainability of public water supply systems.