Monday, December 22, 2008

Conserving and Protecting Nevada's Water Resources

Water is an essential resource for our survival. Because of this, it is important to conserve and protect this resource. Unfortunately, water is not an unlimited resource and can become scarce in areas that do not get heavy rainfall, especially when people do not use their water resources wisely. In Nevada, people are working to make sure their water continues to stay a safe and clean resource for them and for future generations.

The best way to preserve water resources is to conserve them. One of the simplest ways to conserve water is to turn it off when you are not using it. For example, turn off the water while you are brushing your teeth, or work to take shorter showers. Residents of Southern Nevada can also use the Water Smart Car Wash. All water at Water Smart Car Washes is recycled and reused or is sent back to a water treatment facility where it is treated and returned to Lake Mead.

Another way in which Nevada residents can conserve water resources is by purchasing a home built through the Water Smart Home Program. Homes included in this program must meet certain requirements. This means they have water-smart landscaping and water-efficient appliances. Water Smart Homes can save as much as 75,000 gallons of water a year.

Even for those who aren't looking into purchasing a new home, though, they can do things around their home to preserve water resources. Since Nevada is made up of mostly desert land that doesn't get a lot of water, changing grass landscaping to Water Smart Landscape will save water. People can also switch to water-efficient appliances such as a clothes washer which runs on less water or a more water-efficient dishwasher. Simple changes like this can make a huge difference. Even just using more water-efficient cycles for washing clothes or dishes can make a difference. Also fixing leaky or dripping faucets can save a lot of water.

Preserving the water you are already using is also important. If you have a pool, investing in a pool cover can save 10,000 to 15,000 gallons of water by preventing evaporation. Installing a rain sensor causes your irrigation system to shut off during and after rain. This can save 500 gallons of water a day. For those who do not have automatic irrigation, not watering on rainy days or after a rainy day can also save water. The extra water may just cause oversaturation which will turn into wasteful runoff. If nature has already watered for you, there is no reason for you to do it as well.

Even for those who don't care about the environment, there are many reasons to conserve water resources. Conserving water resources will save money. When you are using less water, your water bill will in turn be less. Because you will not have to heat as much water, heating bills will also go down. If whole communities participate in water conservation, the community can spend less money on water-related services including upgrades to water and wastewater infrastructures.

Beth Olignerf writes about floods and water damage problem. See:
http://www.localwaterremoval.com/Nevada

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