It’s been 6 months since the Winona County Water Contest began, and we’re excited to announce the worthy winners and share the wisdom they’ve gained over the last half year. Each winner will receive a cash prize, a smaller water footprint, and a lifetime of knowledge about the value of water conservation. Based on what they’ve learned, here are some insights they’d like to share for homes and businesses considering water conservation practices.
- Michael Hassing learned that by paying attention, he can reduce his water use. “I timed my shower for 20 seconds; in 20 seconds my shower produces 1/2 gallon. Even better, I cut my shower run time to 90 seconds by wetting down, turning off shower while soaping up, and then rinsing. And further, I cut down on the number of showers; instead using wash cloth to clean up.”
What action took most adjustment? Actually, the biggest adjustment was one that wasn’t even recorded in contest. Their basement dehumidifier (gallon & a half capacity) was emptied into garden rather than into basement sink. It all added up, especially since the dehumidifier filled twice a week.
Michael’s tip for neighbors interested in water conservation: “Use water more efficiently. Two ways; set up a rain barrel and either do not water grass or use only water from rain barrel to water grass. In addition, I converted a 5X7 foot boulevard of grass into a flower garden. And I am in process of converting a 7X7 foot grass into a raspberry garden. I keep thinking of more ways. Get an Oral-B battery toothbrush; no running water except at end to flush mouth.” - Elizabeth Sundquist never realized how much water we waste daily. Keeping track of her household’s water usage really put into perspective how we all take advantage of our readily available water.
For Elizabeth, the thing that required the most “effort” was in minimizing showering time and toothbrushing. “Making a conscious effort to not keep the water running while brushing required many reminders to my children daily as well as myself. Now it’s routine! Showers are 10 minutes or less and everyone comes out clean!” - Katie Halvorson learned that many of the ways to reduce her water usage are very simple and not at all time-consuming or difficult. The hardest part, really, is just being aware of what changes need to be made and then remembering and committing to making those changes. As she tells it, pretty soon most of her choices just became routine.
What water contest action required the most effort? “Probably limiting the number of showers I took each week. Cutting my time down wasn’t too hard (I just turn the water off while I’m sudsing), but since I’m a very active/outdoorsy person (and this summer was particularly warm), I found it challenging to try showering less often than every day.Katie’s tips for a neighbor who wants to save more water? “Just try! Make the effort to start reducing, and soon enough it will just become a habit. And every little bit helps.” For inspiration, here are some of the changes she made:
- My laundry settings– always cold water, no extra rinse, and large loads less frequently.
- My rain barrel, which I used to water my lawn and flowerbeds during the drier parts of the summer (courtesy of Sustain Winona!)
- My basement dehumidifier tank water, which I added to my rain barrel or used to water my indoor plants instead of sink water.
- My reusable water bottle, which I take with me everywhere, so that I never have to buy disposable plastic bottles.
- Through the water contest, Cathleen Faruque felt the challenge helped her learn, and believes that idea applies beyond water conservation. “It is important to think about where your water comes from and how water is not easily accessible for all people in our world. We need to conserve water and help our planet. Simple things like not running water when not in use, flushing when you need to, saving rain water to water your plants, washing clothes only when you have a full load and use cold. These are simple adjustments that everyone can do.
Most difficult for Cathleen was turning down the hot water and remembering to turn it on vacation mode when gone. “I like a hot shower, but I found I spend less time in the shower if the water isn’t so hot – it is get down to business and get out! Other than that, I don’t feel anything I did was so hard to do – it is just being conscious.
Cathleen implemented a wide array of water-saving techniques, like:- New low flush toilet (I had checked that the old toilet was leaking and wasting water – I did this by putting red food coloring in the tank and checking the bowl a few minutes later and the water was colored with the food dye). When I purchased a new toilet – I made sure to get the most water efficient I could find. Also, I do flush less – and save water!
- We NEVER water our grass – we use a old fashioned watering can to water our tomatoes or rhubarb, flowers – so we only water what we need to water. Grass may turn yelllow but we are “mellow” with that! We use the rain water as much as we can – if it’s there – we use that first before going to the tap.
- We have a rain barrel and we also built a new one with Parks and Rec this Spring – but the new one isn’t installed yet. It was a good thing we built the new one because our old store bought model has a crack in it now! I think the new one we built ourselves is a whole lot better.
- Put the setting on LOW on the hot water heater – and keep it there! We put it on vacation when we are not home for more than a week. I know some people don’t like this – but we don’t shower every day around here! We shower 2 times a week (3 if it is really hot and muggy!) Showers are quick – under 5 minutes. I noticed when I stopped showering daily – skin dryness clears up and my hair is thicker. It is better for you not to shower every day.
- Wash clothes on cold water. All clothes do fine on cold. There is no reason to do warm or hot. Make sure to select the right size load. In fact, I don’t ever do a small load – I always do a large or extra large and wash clothes 2 times a week no more. *Not related to this challenge – but I also don’t use the dryer all that much. I like to hang my clothes to dry! I set up a place to hang clothes in the basement so that I don’t have to worry about the weather outside!
Elizabeth’s tips for neighbors interested in water conservation? “Definitely buying a water saving head for the shower is a big step in the right direction! 
Another thing I do when soaking pots and pans prior to going in the dishwasher is I will fill one with hot water and soap, after its soaked enough to get stuck on gunk I dump the water into the next pot and scrub the first out with a brush and keep going until they are all ready to go in the dishwasher. Lastly always wash your clothes in cold water! The detergent cleans them, not the hot water: hot water only sets in stains and potentially shrinks fabric.”
Cathleen’s recommendations for where other neighbors should start are straightforward. “I would say the easiest is really a rain barrel. If Parks and Rec does the making a rain barrel thing again next year – I would HIGHLY recommend people do this – it was FUN and it is a great way to collect water so you can water your outdoor plants. Also, it is worth it to check your toilets to see if they are wasting water and even though it costs a few hundred dollars to replace a toilet – it is well worth it – you will save money in the long run and you save water. Flushing only when you need to – I know may be hard for some people – but even maybe trying to only flush if it’s yellow every second or third time. Imagine the water you would save if you only flushed half as much as you do right now!”