Water Conservation

Fresh clean water is a precious resource, so it's important that we work together to protect and conserve it. Simple water conservation practices not only save money on your bill, but also help preserve out natural environment. 

One of the best ways to avoid wasting water is to read your water meter regularly. Pick a time when you and your family will be out of your home for a few hours. Before you leave home, take a water meter reading. When you arrive back home, before anyone uses any water, take another meter reading. If the meter reading has changed, you have a leak and further investigation is required. 

In the interest of water conservation, the Town's Lawn and Garden Watering By-law #98-14 restricts the use of municipally supplied water for outdoor purposes to specific days and times. Generally, outdoor water use includes watering lawns and gardens, washing vehicles, sidewalks or driveways and filling swimming pools. The daily watering restrictions for outdoor water use are as follows:

  • An EVEN numbered address may use water outdoors ONLY ON EVEN NUMBERED DAYS between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. and between the hours of 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
  • An ODD numbered address may use water outdoors ONLY ON ODD NUMBERED DAYS between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. and between the hours of 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

In Ontario, the greatest water uses in an average home are:

  • Toilet (45%)
  • Showers (30%)
  • Laundry (20%)
  • Drinking and Cooking (5%)

In the summer, water usage increases drastically to accommodate lawn and garden watering. 

Here are some tips and trick to help household reduce water consumption. 

Reduce - be aware of your water use, and consider ways to use less:

  • Turn off the tap when brushing teeth, shaving or washing hands
  • Keep a jug of water in the fridge instead of running the tap to get cold water
  • Wash your fruit and vegetables in a pan instead of running water from the tap
  • Don't use running water to thaw food. For water efficiency and food safety, defrost food in the refrigerator
  • Shorten your shower by a minute or two and you'll save up 550 litres per week
  • Cut grass at a higher level (5-8 cm). Taller grass shades roots and holds soil moisture better than short grass
  • Avoid children's recreational water toys that requires a constant flow of water; consider a small kiddy pool instead
  • Water your lawn only when it needs it. A good way to see if your lawn needs watering is to see if your lawn needs watering it to step on the grass. If it springs back when you move, it doesn't need water. If it stays flat, fetch the sprinkler
  • Water during the cool parts of the day. Early morning generally is better than dusk since it helps prevent the growth of fungus
  • Water vegetable gardens in the morning or evening, near the roots and by hand
  • Use a rainbarrel to collect rain water and water your garden 

Repair - locate and repair leaks to save water, money and to prevent potentially costly property damage

  • Check for toilet leaks; add a few drops of food colouring into the toilet tanks and wait a few minutes. If, without flushing, the colour appears in the bowl, you have a leak
  • Check for leaks in pipes and fittings; a leak of only one drop per second wastes up to 10,000 L of water annually. 

Retrofit - install water saving devices on existing fixtures and select water efficient devices when replacing older, water guzzling fixtures and appliances

  • Low flow shower head can save up to 7.5 litres of water per minute
  • Faucet aerator can reduce water by 25%
  • Older toilets use about 20L per flush. Consider installing a low-flow toilet which only uses 6L.