Conserving Water

It’s important to save water, as it is a valuable resource that needs to shared; however conserving water in the household also benefits your septic system!

Why conserve?

• Conserving water in the house means less wastewater needs to be treated by your on site septic system.
• Limiting the amount of water entering the system allows the leaching field to disperse and absorb the wastewater effectively.
• Too much water can overload the system!
• Water conservation is the key to a healthy septic system as well as an important part of septic system maintenance.
• If there is excessive water use in the house, the water will move too quickly through the system and the solids may not have time to settle out, therefore flowing into the leaching field.
• Solids in the leaching bed can clog pipes and damage the overall system. 

Water Conservation Tips

An average Canadian uses close to 329 litres of water a day (that makes us the second highest consumers of water in the world!). There are many ways you as a homeowner can reduce the amount of water being used in your house.

Fix leaky faucets: Leaking taps or toilets have been known to waste over 50 liters a day allowing excess water to go through the septic system.

Install efficient toilets: Anywhere from 16 to 23 liters of water is used every time the toilet is flushed. Low flush or high efficiency toilets reduce the amount of water being used by 50%. For example, a dual toilet uses 3 liters of water for liquid waste and only 6 liters for solid waste.

Install energy efficient appliances: Not only do these appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers save energy, but they use up to 20% less water.

Use appropriate water level or load size selection: Only wash full loads of laundry to reduce the number of cycles, and spread these cycles out throughout the week.

Change the water flow: Installing an aerator on faucets will reduce the flow by twenty five to fifty percent and a low flow showerhead will reduce about half the amount of water used in the shower.

Kitchen Tips: When getting a glass of water, keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator instead of waiting for the water to run cold from the tap. Also never leave the tap running when cooking or washing dishes!