DOMESTIC WATER EFFICIENCY

(area of impact: water)

Domestic water is a precious resource and has been used incredibly wastefully over the last several decades. Use of domestic water for non-productive landscapes is the biggest inefficiency at the moment, with about half of our domestic water being used outdoors. Water efficiency landscapes addresses this important issue. For the water used in the home, efficiency standards exist in California for faucets, shower heads, and toilets. This has made Californians some of the most efficient water users in the United States, with significant reductions seen over several years. In order to do better than this, there are a few ideas in circulation but not widely adopted or sanctioned by Building and Safety departments. These include non-water consuming composting toilets, using non-potable water for toilet flushing, and capturing shower water for toilet use. Coastal communities can potentially use salt water in toilets. In addition, gray water systems make use of domestic water in the landscape after it is used for showering, laundry and in sinks, thereby displacing the amount of domestic water that would otherwise be used in the landscape or garden.