Dude, where’s the rain? The current state of the California drought is the worst we have seen in decades, and it’s showing little to no sign of letting up. Although in San Luis Obispo we haven’t yet received any restrictions, our neighbors in Cambria and Pismo Beach have been told how much water they’re allowed to use and how to use it.
The drought is so extreme that residents of Cambria can use just two units of water per person. Two units of water is equivalent to 750 gallons of water. That means each person can use 50 gallons of water per day. Essential every-day activities that would quickly use up those 50 gallons include brushing your teeth, washing your hands, washing the dishes, doing laundry and, of course, showering. Let me put into perspective how much 50 gallons of water is. The water heater in my apartment only holds 50 gallons of hot water. When I take a hot shower, or wash the dishes, the water gets icy cold after only 20 minutes. Residents of Cambria are fined anywhere from 500 to 1000 percent of their bill for going over this water allowance.
Even though in SLO we haven’t been forced to limit our water use, we should still be doing our part to conserve water and make sure that we’re not the next town claiming a stage 3 water emergency.
Tips on how to conserve water:
1. Limit yourself to five minute showers.
It’s really not that hard to do. Turn off the water when you are shampooing and conditioning your hair, shaving your legs or washing your face. An easy way to shave your legs without running the water for 10 minutes wasting precious gallons: use a large plastic cup. Fill the cup with water and rinse your razor by swishing it in the cup. Long showers are nice and relaxing, but when the situation is this dire, there’s no need for them.
2. When you brush your teeth or wash your face, turn the water off.
This seems so simple, but many people don’t do it. Sometimes we fall into the habit of leaving the water running while we brush our teeth; being aware that we do it is the first step! Write “turn off water” on a post-it and put it on the mirror if you have to. Also, when you wash your face, don’t leave the water running! Washing your face should not take longer than a minute; splash with water, rub in face wash, rinse off face wash. Breaking these small habits will make a huge difference.
3. Do full loads of dishes and laundry.
Don’t run the dishwasher when there are only five dishes in there! Wait until it is completely full. Only wash full loads of clothes, or at least use a “small load” setting on your washing machine.
I know how this may seem a little extreme, but it’s everyone’s job to control their water footprint. We don’t want to be next having our water use regulated, do we? So in the words of Ron Burgundy, “Stay dry San Luis Obispo!”