Residential Water Conservation
Calgary
experienced water shortages during 2024 and will again in 2026, during March
and September.
The
City provides good advice and information at https://www.calgary.ca/planning/water/bearspaw-feeder-main/water-restrictions.html#topthree
and https://www.calgary.ca/water/programs/saving-water-in-your-home.html#home.
We
are a retired couple living in a 1960’s 3-bedroom bungalow with two 6.0
litre/flush toilets, a front-loading washing machine, dishwasher, and we shower
rather than bathe. We’ve also done some winter mountaineering and off-shore
sailing – both activities where water consumption is a critical concern.
The
City expects residential water use to average 230 litres (50.6 imperial gallons)
per day, 7 m³ per month, 84 m³ per year, per person. Our 2024 consumption
totalled 91 m³ for the two of us, about 55% percent of the City standard for
the year.
There’s
a one litre soft drink bottle (filled with water) in each of our toilet tanks,
reducing the flush volume to 5 litres. We also follow the old 1970s rhyme, “if
it’s yellow, let it mellow; if it’s brown, flush it down,.” augmented by a few
other actions.
We
keep a plastic ice cream bucket in the shower to catch any drips and to hold
under the shower head for the initial cold when first turning on the hot tap. As
soon as the hot starts to come in, we shut the tap, step in, turn it back on to
get wet before closing it again. Soap up, then turn the water (briefly) back on to rinse. A face cloth can be helpful; and you only
need enough pressure to get your face wet.
We’ve taken the toilet tank lids
off and will dump whatever ‘grey’ water we have (e.g. the shower bucket) into
the tank as soon as we release the flush lever.
Outside water use won’t be an issue
in March, but homeowners should have rain barrels in place for the September
restrictions.
Don’t run the taps. For cold water,
keep a jug in the fridge; for hot – microwave what you need.
Running a full dishwasher is more
efficient than hand washing. Scrape dishes, don’t rinse. Nest plates and bowls
if you need to soak them and add just enough ‘grey’ water to your tower to
achieve this.
Rinse fruit, etc., in a pot,
followed by a quick separate ‘flash’ wash from the tap. Similarly, drain the
water from spaghetti/peas/corn/etc. into a container. Microwave veggies with a
couple of tbsp water vs. boiling.
Face and hand washing? Soak a face
cloth and scrub. Use hand sanitizer.
For teeth brushing, run water into
a glass, and dunk your toothbrush to wet the bristles. Add paste, brush, etc. Swish
the brush in the glass and rinse your mouth. Don’t swallow, as the fluoride
level in toothpaste is not good to ingest.
Friends captured the discharge from
their clothes washing in 2024, and we’re following their advice as well:
probably 7 to 10 toilet flushes worth of water, collected in the laundry tub.
Shut off the humidifier. Don’t wash
the car for the month.
Look for other options: we’re about
30 minutes from Cochrane and they have a separate water supply for their rec centre,
car wash, laundromat, etc. A friend noticed people sourcing raw water out of
the Bow near the Calgary Canoe Club in 2024.
The biggest problem appears to be
our conditioned reflexes, such as flipping the tap on and watching the water
run down the drain to get that glass of cold water. Break the habits.
I’ve checked our water meter daily
for the last six days (which included two dishwasher loads, and one laundry)
and we have reduced our consumption to 59 litres/day, versus the standard City
forecast of 460 litres per day for two people.
“If we’re not part of the solution,
we’re definitely part of the problem.”
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