With all the hullabaloo about Manzanita’s water billing, you’d think we would be paying closer attention to how much water we’re using. In July we watered the garden as usual, and of course washed dishes, clothes and ourselves (and our Chihuahua, Malcom too).
When the July water bill arrived (online), the amount was like a splash of cold water.
We had been profligate water users! Something had to change.
For August, we resolved to be better. Outside we continued to water plants in the ground, in planters, hanging baskets, etc. as well as filling our bird/bee/butterfly baths daily.
But we paid attention to how many minutes the hose was running at any one time.
Inside, we didn’t run the dishwasher as often, or the washer–trying to wait for a “full” load before pushing the buttons. And we didn’t let the kitchen faucet run wild either.
With this (admittedly modest) attention paid to our daily water use I am glad to report that we cut our water use in August (compared to July) by over 36%.
The garden looks great, our clothes, dishes and bodies got cleaned well. (and, much to his on-going dismay, so did our Chihuahua).
A firm thumbs-up from our house to Manzanita’s change to monthly water billing. We were able to adjust our water habits quickly and save big bucks as a result. In the “old days” of quarterly billing, we’d have learned of our wicked ways much too late to react promptly.
Thank you to our City Council.
Mark and Linda Kuestner
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