OK! Are You Going to Be This Way the Rest of the Time I Know You? not only likes to conserve water, too, she also is more talented than I and converted my water use chart into a jpeg for me.
Voila, the illustration of our water use the last few years! (We are billed bimonthly, thus six bills per year.)
Note that the spike corresponds with Denver Water’s suggested outdoor watering schedule, posted in 2006.
And my husband pointed out that rain barrels (as well as using grey water … but not unused water) are illegal in Denver.
In the kitchen this morning, I wished for another invention — a “tiny tap” that would open a tap just a smidge, if you need a few drops of water or if you need to rinse some little tiny thing, when you don’t need the faucet at full force.
What water-savers would you invent, given your druthers?
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Comments ( 6 )
Im sorry, but that’s got to be one the most ridiculous things I’ve ever heard. It’s illegal to re-use water you’ve paid for?
And I get two for the price of one. It’s illegal to collect your own? Because someone else has the rights to the water that falls from the sky?
Has the world gone insane?
BeThisWay added these pithy words on
Jan 18 08 at
4:33 pm
I think it’s a Western thing … all water rights are argued and legislated and regulated — including, yes, the water that falls from the sky. Read The Milagro Beanfield War for a humorous (yet true) view!
cheaplikeme added these pithy words on
Jan 18 08 at
10:00 pm
I clicked through on your links about the water rights, and it is amazing that no reasoning is given beyond the fact that you are considered to be stealing water from others, but even the description of who owns the water seems a bit odd. As for the statement in the link about this being common everywhere east of the Mississippi, I know that is not the case in Texas (rain collecting is a big deal in the central part of the state), and I have seen it in other states, but maybe they are in violation of their laws.
frankschulteladbeck added these pithy words on
Jan 19 08 at
6:17 am
Whoa. That is beyond ridiculous. I had no idea… and if I’m ever ticketed for pouring gray water on my plants, I’m going to plead ignorance. How did Mr. Cheap find that info in the first place?? And if you mail-order a rain barrel anyway, will the water police track you down? The mind boggles…
L'an added these pithy words on
Jan 21 08 at
3:22 pm
Um, he has an inherent knowledge of obscure water law? I don’t know.
I don’t think the water police have enough resources to track down barrel-orderers … yet. They don’t even have enough manpower to ticket wasteful sidewalk-waterers, and I think (hope!) they’ll target them first.
Cheap Like Me added these pithy words on
Jan 21 08 at
7:06 pm
To save on water in the shower, check out this article: Water-Amplifying Low-Flow Shower Heads.
Kevin added these pithy words on
Jul 17 08 at
3:28 pm
