Between water use restrictions, the impact on our dwindling mainland water sources, and soaring costs to homeowners, if you haven’t yet formulated a water harvesting / reuse / recycle plan for your home — now is the time.</p><p><b>Back to two days </b></p><p>Thanks to unseasonably heavy rain, our emergency landscape watering restrictions have changed again. Modifications to the South Florida Water Management District’s ruling became effective on Friday, April 18, when our one-day-a-week residential landscape irrigation restrictions was increased back to a two-days-a-week watering schedule.</p><p>Landscape irrigation accounts for up to half of all household water consumption in Florida. The one-day-a-week restrictions implemented in January were the most drastic reduction in the agency’s history, based on extreme water shortage conditions and a rainfall deficit of close to 25 inches. </p><p>The new twice-weekly restrictions apply to water from traditional sources, including public utilities and private wells. </p><p>No restrictions apply to other outside water uses, such as for car and boat washing, pressure cleaning of paved surfaces, decorative fountains and water-based recreation such as swimming pools and water slides. </p><p>Golf courses must reduce their allocated water use by 30 percent. </p><p><b>What’s your program?</b></p><p>If these restrictions don’t motivate you to consider implementing your own personal water conservation program, upcoming financial disincentives should. </p><p>The politicians may still be haggling over the cost of our new sewer system, but it’s a good bet that you’ll be paying a sewer usage fee that is directly based on your water usage, likely doubling that cost — or more. That alone should motivate anyone to become a water-stingy conservationist.</p><p>We discussed rainwater harvesting starting on Page 10, but there are much simpler ways to make sure you’re making the most of your water.</p><p><b>Look around inside</b></p><p>The South Florida Water Management District tracks water usage and has lots of practical suggestions for conserving our valuable water. Things like turning the faucet off while brushing your teeth, or taking shorter showers. Only doing full loads in your washing machine or dishwasher. Replacing old appliances with more efficient models. If you save just 10 gallons a day, multiplied by 365 that’s 3,650 gallons a year.</p><p>Get in the habit of not pouring water down the drain when there may be another use for it. Use it to water your indoor plants or garden. Check your water meter when you are certain that no water is being used. If the meter reading changes, you have a leak.</p><p>Repair dripping faucets by replacing washers. One drop per second wastes 2,700 gallons of water per year. Replace old faucets with flow-restricting aerators. </p><p>Check for toilet leaks by adding food coloring to the tank. If you have a leak, the color will appear in the bowl within 30 minutes. (Flush immediately to avoid stains.) If the toilet handle frequently sticks in the flush position, letting water run constantly, replace or adjust it. </p><p>Consider installing a device to cut down on the amount of water needed for each flush, or a low-volume replacement commode that uses less than half the water of older models. (In many areas, low-volume units are required by law.) </p><p>The Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority’s Low Flow Toilet Retrofit Program gave customers a $100 rebate for replacing their old toilet(s) (pre-1996) of more than 1.6 gallons per flush (gpf) with new low flow toilet(s) of 1.6 gpf or less. Up to three (3) low flow toilets can be installed per account. While the grant money that funded the program has run out for now, the FKAA is seeking more.</p><p>When hand-washing dishes, fill two containers — one with soapy water, one with rinse water containing a small amount of chlorine bleach. Don’t waste running water waiting for it to get hot. Capture it for other uses such as plant watering. </p><p>Don’t use running water to thaw meat or other frozen foods. Defrost food overnight in the refrigerator, or use the defrost setting on your microwave.</p><p>Store drinking water in the refrigerator. Don’t let the tap run while you are waiting for water to cool. </p><p>Kitchen sink disposals require lots of water to operate properly. (And are a bad idea for those on septic systems.) Start a compost pile as an alternate method of disposing food waste. </p><p><b>Look around outside</b></p><p>Since outdoor water usage is at least half of most residents’ bills, a look around your yard might be in order. Water your lawn in the early morning hours (4 a.m. to 8 a.m. on your assigned day) to minimize evaporation and waste. And of course a heavy rain means you can skip your weekly watering session.</p><p>Did you know that most lawns need only about one-half to three-quarters of an inch of water at a time? To determine how long it takes your irrigation system to put out a half inch of water, place tuna cans around the yard and measure the water collected in a half-hour. </p><p>Install water-efficient sprinklers and a rain sensor switch to override your system when it rains. Use low-volume soaker hoses or drip irrigation systems for planting beds with shrubs and flowers. Make sure you are watering your plants and not the street or driveway.</p><p>Xeriscape your property with water-thrifty, native ornamental grasses, plants and trees. Native plants are already adapted to our rainy and dry seasons, and offer habitat to area wildlife such as butterflies. Group plants together based on similar water needs. Weeds or other unwanted plants use water too. Removing them means more water for the plants you want. Mulch to retain moisture and reduce weeds. </p><p>Raise your lawnmower blade to its highest setting to encourage grass roots to grow deeper and grass blades to hold moisture longer than with a closely clipped lawn. Cut off no more than one-third of a blade of grass at a time. Apply fertilizers sparingly and use brands that contain slow release, water-insoluble forms of nitrogen.</p><p>Put a self-canceling shut-off nozzle on your hose to control the flow of water so you only use what you need. Always turn the water off at the faucet to prevent leaks. Repair dripping faucets by replacing their washers.</p><p>Go online and take the Water Usage Audit found under the “residents” tab at www.savewaterfl.com.</p><p><b>FKAA doing its part </b></p><p>Our water utility is also doing its part to reduce water usage. Every day, leak detection technicians from the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority perform routine field checks, using acoustic technology to locate leaking pipes and valves. Night leak surveys are conducted when a transmission line indicates a noticeable increase in consumption. These surveys have contributed to water savings of almost 2 million gallons per week and have resulted in many service leak repairs.</p><p>In spite of our best efforts to conserve water, desalination remains a viable method that may be used more in the future. Seawater is converted to drinking water through the process of reverse osmosis. Extremely high pressure forces saltwater through a series of membranes, resulting in water that meets or exceeds all state and federal drinking water standards. Last year, the FKAA won the Florida Rural Water Association’s Taste Test for best drinking water in the state for the desalinated seawater produced at its plant on Stock Island.