Drought Or Not, Every Drop Counts (NAPSA)—As summer and warm-weather activities heat up, it may be tempting to leave the YOUskip a shower... SAVE T7ctwater water running to keep yourself and your lawn cool. However, as + seen on the West Coast, droughts rob communities of the rain or snow that replenishes their muchneeded water supplies, so saving waterfor the future becomes more important than ever. @ YOUR YARD skips a shower... SAVE i= 2,500 stwater Drought may not be an issue in your region right now, but water shortages strike different areas at different timesof the year, so saving water is always in season! Wherever you live, make it a water-savvy summerwith the followingtips: Take a sprinkler break. Grass doesn’t have to be bright and utilities. Respect requests to use less water on your lawns, cars it to turn a little brown at the tips during summer’s hottest months. You can cut back on watering and maintain a healthy lawn, so skip Go the extra mile. If you want to go above and beyond, you green year-round. It’s natural for that shower for your landscape. For every 20-minute watering session missed, you could save 2,500 gallons of water or more! Consider an upgrade. If you're thinking about a bathroom update, now is a good time to replace old plumbing fixtures with water-saving models. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense program labels toilets, faucets and showerheads that have been independently certified to perform well and use less water and energy than the standard ones. Follow the rules. When in drought, your community may need to enforce temporary water restrictions to save limited sup- plies for those who need it most, including firefighters, hospitals and other outdoor uses during water shortages. can collect water in a bucket while waiting for the shower to warm up or when washingpots, and useit to water container plants or flower beds. Use your imagination to come up with creative ways to save water or visit www.epa.gov/water sense/our_water/drought.html. In the future, consider landscaping with plants that are suited to your area’s climate and use less water. Learn more at www.epa.gov/watersense/outdoor/ landscapingtips.html. And if you live in a drought-prone area and already gave your landscape a makeover with plants that use less water, post a photo to Insta- gram or Twitter using the hash- tag #watersavingyard to show your friends and neighbors how beautiful a drought-tolerant yard can be.
