Citizens asked to continue voluntary water conservation efforts 

(July 2, 2009) - Citizens in the southwest Oklahoma City (south of NW 10th Street and west of Council Road) continue to experience low-water pressure.  All Oklahoma City citizens are asked to help ease these low-pressure problems by continuing their voluntary water conservation efforts.

Low water pressure generally affects citizens at the far reaches of the pipeline system or those in areas in which a water main has broken. 

“Oklahoma City has ample raw water supplies,” Slaughter said.  “But when temperatures are high and rainfall is low, we tend to use a lot of water, especially on our yards.”

The following best-watering steps will help to minimize water use:

• Water the lawn only when it needs it and in the early morning or late afternoon.  Watering in the middle of the day allows most of the water to evaporate.
• Make sure the sprinkler is aimed at the lawn not the street or sidewalk.
• If you water when it’s windy, water will go everywhere but on the grass.

These water-saving tips will further our voluntary conservation efforts:

• Use a broom instead of your hose to clean the driveway or sidewalk.
• Run the dishwasher or washing machine only for full loads.
• Keep a bottle of drinking water in the refrigerator.  Running the tap to cool water is wasteful.
• Reduce the use of the garbage disposal.  It requires a great deal of water for operation.  Dispose of food scraps and peelings in the trash or compost bin.
• Fix leaky faucets.  Drops of two tablespoons a minute can waste 15 gallons of water a day, 105 gallons a week and 5,460 gallons a year.
• Install flow restrictors or washer-less faucets.
• Don’t use the toilet as a wastebasket.  A toilet uses 5 to 7 gallons of water per flush.  Low-flow toilets use only about 1.5 gallons per flush.
• Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or shaving and save about 2 gallons of water.
• Also, when cleaning a fish tank, water houseplants with the dirty water.  It’s rich in nitrogen and phosphorous.
• Decline the complimentary water in restaurants.  Every water glass used requires two glasses of water to wash and rinse it.