Water Conservation
Water Conservation is important for many reasons. It not only conserves resources
and protects wildlife, it protects us! This site provides information about City
resources available, what you can do around the home and your water company.
City Resources
FREE SHOWERHEADS and aerators are available to Gilroy residents and
businesses. These water conservation devices will help you conserve a lot of
water! Aerators can be easily installed and can reduce the water use at a
faucet by as much as 60 percent while still maintaining a strong flow. And,
by replacing standard 4.5-gallon-per-minute showerheads with 2.5-gallon-per-minute
heads, a family of four can save approximately 20,000 gallons of water per
year (Jensen, 1991). If you are interested, please come to the Community
Services Department or call 846-0460 for more information.
Water Conservation Brochures. Additional information is available in
the "Resource Area" of the City Hall lobby for your convenience. City Hall is
located at 7351 Rosanna Street, Gilroy, CA. 95020 (408) 846-0400.
Things You Can Do at Home
Use low-flow faucets, shower heads, reduced-flow toilet flushing equipment,
and water saving appliances. Did you know that more than 4.8 billion gallons of
water is flushed down toilets each day in the United States? The average American
uses about 9,000 gallons of water to flush 230 gallons of waste down the toilet
per year (Jensen, 1991).
Repair leaking faucets, toilets, and pumps.
Use dishwashers and clothes washers only when fully loaded.
Take short showers instead of long showers or baths and avoid letting
faucets run unnecessarily.
Turn the faucet off while you brush your teeth.
Wash your car only when necessary; use a bucket to save water. Alternatively,
go to a commercial carwash that uses water efficiently and disposes of runoff
properly. As much as 150 gallons of water can be saved when washing a car by
turning the hose off between rinses (EPA, 2002). The car should be washed on the
lawn if possible to reduce runoff.
Do not over-water your lawn or garden. Over-watering may increase leaching
of fertilizers to ground water. When your lawn or garden needs watering, use
slow-watering techniques such as trickle irrigation or soaker hoses. (Such devices
reduce runoff and are 20-percent more effective than sprinklers.) Scheduling lawn
irrigation for specific early morning or evening hours can reduce water wasted due
to evaporation during daylight hours.
Santa Clara Valley Water District
Santa Clara Valley Water District
5750 Almaden Expressway
San Jose, CA 95118-3686
Tel: (408) 265-2600
The District has an excellent water conservation website with information about
water supply, conservation, water quality, streams and floods, public outreach,
school programs, business information and more!