Water Shortage - What do you do?

[katepoet]

I hadn't thought about the paper goods - we did do that in the last place we lived.

Here, we've been trying hard to cut our input to the local landfill by cutting paper goods back and recycling everything we possibly can. We belong to www.freecycle.org and pass things around the community that still have some life in them. Plus we joined a neighbor group online - we live outside a large city so neighbors are not necessarily next door - and that group gives each other assistance like teaching you to use your new software or installing a light fixture. It's call friends helping friends.

I think I will email the county and ask if they need us to go to paper or to not for the time being.

[katepoet]

One neighbor told me we had no outdoor water use except new plantings, another told me it was alternating days, so I went to our county and looked up the current rules. What do you think? Are they conserving enough? If you are in the Carolinas or Georgia you probably have more severe restrictions - what are they?

Established landscapes and gardens

* Monday ? no watering.
* Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday ? odd addresses water
* Wednesday, Friday and Sunday ? even addresses water (odd/even determined by the last digit of address number)
* Watering by bucket (five gallon maximum) any time

New landscape

* Unrestricted for the first 10 days after planting, then limited to the established landscapes and gardens measures
* Vegetable gardens
* Limit to any two days per week and,
o 8 p.m.-10 a.m., any day
* Watering by bucket unrestricted

Paved-area washing (streets, drives, patios, walks, etc.)

* Limit to two days per week, but unrestricted for immediate health and safety concerns
Vehicle washing (commercial businesses exempt)
* Limit to two days per week using a hand-held hose with an automatic shut-off nozzle

Golf courses (greens exempt)
Limit to 8 p.m.-10 a.m. any day.

Swimming Pools
Limited to filling required to maintain health and safety

Fountains
Limit to any two days per week and from 8 p.m.-10 a.m. on any day.

Businesses
Limit to essential uses

Restaurants
No restrictions

All Other Consumption

* Conservation by any means encouraged

[Mandy]

We dont have water shortage here, but used to in SA, i remember those days too well.

[rivermom]

We are on a well here so don't worry too much about the water. We don't purposely waste it either way.

It is kinda scary though watching the drastic water shortage stories on t.v. news.

[Janet]

We're on a well too, so right now we don't worry. We do have to remember that if a severe drought ever happens, our wells could easily dry up. We've been lucky and have not had a severe drought.