Be Water Wise

• Follow water restrictions and lawn care tips
• Identify and fix household leaks
• Use a water calculator to review your water use
• Limit showers to five minutes
• Turn off water when washing dishes or brushing teeth
• Run household appliances less and consider upgrading to high-efficiency appliances
• Replace old toilets with a CVRD rebate program
• Plant drought tolerant plants in your garden
• Learn about rain cisterns

Food Service

• Remind staff to be mindful of water use. Do not leave faucets running – thaw foods in the refrigerator and pre-soak utensils and dishes in the sink.
• Run only full loads in the dishwasher.
• Install water aerators on your faucets.
• Let your customers know that to reduce waste, you will only serve water upon request.

Laundry

• Use high-efficiency front-loading washers and only wash full loads.
• For hotels and motels, ask guests to put their towels in the bathtub if they need fresh ones, or to keep them on the rack if they do not need to be laundered.

Washrooms (staff or public)

• Repair leaky toilets and faucets. Use food colouring or dye tablets to identify leaking toilets.
• Replace older toilets with high efficiency or dual-flush toilets.
• Install water aerators on your faucets.

Outdoors

• Replace part or all of your lawn with native species which require less water.
• Ensure your irrigation system is not leaking and that it operates only in the early morning and late evening when evaporation is lowest.
• Sweep driveways and parking lots rather than washing with a hose.
• Turn off garden fountains or other landscaping features during the dry months.