Water Conservation

In the next 30-50 years there will be a rise in population in the Round Rock and Austin areas bringing the total to 4.5 million people. We look at the projected population growth against our potable water supply. While the population continues to rise, our water supply does not. An increase in conservation is severely needed. There are many ways to conserve that are easy and ultimately cost effective.

Conserving water has benefits beyond lowering your bill. Using less water requires less electricity for treatment services, reduces the need for expensive system expansions, and helps to ensure the availability of clean water for generations to come. In 2019, Austin achieved its lowest water use ever at 120 gallons per person per day.

In Texas about 2.3 billion gallons of water are withdrawn and delivered every day for domestic use, with the average Texas resident using 92 gallons per day in and around their home.

• Install low-flow showerheads, taps, faucets, and toilets. Older faucets use between 3 and 7 gallons per minute (GPM), while low-flow aerators reduce water flow to 1.5 GPM. Likewise, a low-flow toilet can reduce water consumption per flush by approximately 30%. High efficiency toilets can save an average household 2500 gallons a year per toilet.
• Turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth, shaving, washing your hands, or rinsing dishes or vegetables. Each minute you have the faucet off saves at least 3 gallons. In the shower, get wet, turn off the water to lather, and then turn the water back on to rinse. To make this an easy step, some low-flow showerheads have levers to temporarily stop the flow of water.
• Fix dripping taps and leaking toilets by replacing washers and worn parts. A faucet drip or invisible leak in the toilet will waste up to 5,475 gallons a year. To check for toilet leaks, add 10 drops of food coloring to the tank. Wait 15 minutes. If the color appears in the bowl, you have a leak.
• Wash only full loads in both the dishwasher and washing machine, or set the water levels to accommodate smaller loads.