In the Northwest, water and energy are closely connected. Hydroelectric dams in the Columbia River basin create most of the energy we use here in Southwest Washington. And while the rivers help us make energy, running our water at home uses it.
To protect water quality, quantity and ensure its safety, the Washington Legislature passed the Water Use Efficiency rule in 2003. Many cities in Clark County provide water service, and Clark Public Utilities’ water utility serves nearly 34,000 homes and businesses in unincorporated areas of the county. To comply with the law, water providers test the quality of water regularly and issue yearly reports available to all users, and were required to set their WUE goals by 2008 or 2009, depending on the size of the water system. (To see the current Clark Public Utilities report, visit bit.ly/2sG9ZNb.)
Growth puts pressure on water resources and between 2010 and 2017, Clark County grew by about 10 percent (about 66,000 countywide), according to the state Office of Financial Management. That means more people using water from a common resource.
Fortunately, careful planning in Clark County means there’s ample supply of water secured for decades into the future. But getting it to our homes and businesses also requires energy. The pumps required to move water through the system and the technologies used to treat the water for safety all run on electricity. So wasting water also means wasting the energy used to send it safely to your home.
Fortunately, there are lots of ways to reduce wasted energy. Inside your home, a good place to start is the bathroom where most of our water is used for showers and flushing. Check for leaky faucets and fix them first. A faucet leaking one drop a second wastes 2,700 gallons of water a year, so stopping leaks is an immediate improvement. If it’s a hot water faucet that’s wasting water, then you lose not only the water but also the cost of heating it. Check for toilet leaks as well, and when replacing toilets consider low-flow models. For traditional toilets, placing a quart bottle of water into a standard toilet tank reduces the amount of water used for each flush by a quart.
Take shorter showers. On average, we shower for 8 1/2 minutes, using about 17.5 gallons of water. For every minute you shorten your shower, you’ll save two gallons of water — plus reduce the amount of energy needed to heat it. Installing a low-flow shower head can also save you gallons a day and it’s a quick and inexpensive change.
Dishwashers use about six to 16 gallons of water per run, depending on the model. Washing machines use about 25. If these appliances are older, they can use even more water (and energy). Regardless of age, running the dishwasher and washing machine only when each is fully loaded saves water, and it can add up.
Outside, irrigating lawns and vegetation soaks up the most water. We use about 30 percent of our water out there. Some of it evaporates, and curbing that is an easy way to reduce wasted water. To slow evaporation, water plants in the early morning or after dusk when it’s cooler. Landscaping with native plants that are more adapted to our environment can also lessen your water use. Finding ways to reduce grass-covered areas helps, too. Covering the ground around vegetation with two to four inches of mulch also restricts evaporation and helps the garden hold on to moisture.
Controlling water flow wisely can also reduce the amount used. Installing a drip or trickle irrigation system provides a slow, steady flow of water to plant roots and allows less time for evaporation. Connect it to a timer to make sure it’s not left on too long and make sure not to water in the rain. Using a hose with a shut-off nozzle or attaching a sprayer for watering plants or washing the car also lowers water use by stopping the flow when it’s not needed.
For more tips on watering wisely, visit ClarkPublicUtilities.com.
Energy Adviser is written by Clark Public Utilities. Send questions to ecod@clarkpud.com or to Energy Adviser, c/o Clark Public Utilities, P.O. Box 8900, Vancouver, WA 98668.
