GUARDING THE BUCKET
If you think shutting off the tap when brushing your teeth is merely a drop in the overall water-saving bucket, you’re right, says Jack R. Lavelle, a spokesman for the Arizona Department of Water Resources. “You are a drop in the bucket.”
But that doesn’t mean he thinks those of us in homes and businesses, who account for 20 percent of the state’s water use, should not save water in as many ways we can.
“Our water situation now is not urgent,” notes Lavelle. “But living in the desert, a water crisis is not that far away at any time. We are in a drought now and have been for the last 12 years.”
An additional consideration: Population growth will see more people dipping into the state’s “water bucket.” As of 2007 there were 6.5 million residents in the state, Lavelle points out, and it is projected that by 2015 there will be about 8 million Arizonans, with 13.3 million folks by 2055. If people—one by one—take steps now to conserve water, he concludes, it will help keep the water supply replenished. “A bucket fills up quickly.”
The following are water-saving suggestions from Water—Use It Wisely, a consortium of Arizona cities and other local and national entities, and Salt River Project. Visit wateruseitwisely.com and srp.net on the Web for more ideas.
• Time your shower to keep it under five minutes. You’ll save up to 1,000 gallons
a month.
• Install a rain shut-off device on automatic sprinklers.
• Fix a leaky faucet and save up to 140 gal-lons of water a week.

GOING WITH THE FLOW
Worried about gallons of water being wasted down the drain? With Waterdecor’s new line of faucets and shower heads you can choose just how much water you want to use when you shower or wash your face. The company’s new technology, a system of built-in regulators, allows a consumer to customize the flow of gallons per minute, or GPM, being used in a range from .5 to 2.2 GPM; a rate of 2.5 GPM or less is generally considered to be low-flow.

GREEN CLEAN
Whether installed stacked or side-by-side, ASKO’s new front-loading washer and its companion dryer are said to offer savings both in water and energy. Company literature states that among features, a Super Quick Wash option results in a load being finished in 35 minutes using only 5.7 gallons of water and two cents’ worth of electricity. Integrated accessory panels are available in stainless steel, white, black and titanium.