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WATER CONSERVATION

The fresh water that sustains all life on this planet is continuously recycled. Water is used, purified and reused in an endless cycle known as the water or hydrologic cycle. What we have is all there is.

The hydrologic cycle cleans and recycles water, however, it has a limited capacity to continue to produce clean water. The more water is used, the more sewage we produce, the more chemicals that are used to treat the water and sewage, the more chemical loading increases in rivers and lakes. Water conservation and pollution prevention help keep the water cycle working.

In Barrie we are fortunate to have a large supply of high quality water available in underground aquifers within the City. This water supply has a limited capacity to supply a very rapidly growing population. The cost to supplement this supply would be huge and thus it is in everyone’s interest to make this supply serve as many people as possible.

Taking some of the steps outlined in the following information will help you save money and contribute to keeping our aquifer for everyone.
For more information on water conservation in the City of Barrie please call 705-739-4254.

VIDEOS

Outdoor Lawn Watering

PROGRAMS

The City of Barrie has been involved in water conservation since 1995. At that time the City began a fixture replacement program for toilets, showerheads and aerators. Over the next four years the program was successful in changing fixtures in over 11,000 homes in Barrie. Starting in 1998 and ending in 2002 the City  offered a cash rebate to Barrie residents for the purchase of water efficient washing machines. Through 2002 this had resulted in over 3000 rebates being distributed.

Presently the City of Barrie has several programs and regulations to encourage water conservation in the City of Barrie:

Toilet Rebate Program

The City of Barrie will be offering a $70.00 rebate for the purchase of low flow toilets (six litre/flush toilets).  The rebate program began October 17, 2005.  The program will only be available to residents of Barrie who own homes built before 1996, additionally toilets must replace existing toilets that are larger than six litres per flush.  Please read complete guidelines.

Summary Report of Toilet Testing Program.

 Muskoka Garden Workshop and Demonstration Garden:

In order to help control summer peak demand the City is encouraging residents to consider replacing turf area with native or low water using plants. This year we are planning a workshop for May 15 to provide residents with information on planning and building their own Muskoka Garden. As part of the workshop the participants will be helping to plant four s of gardens using native and low water using plants at the Arboretum located in Sunnidale Park. These gardens will then be used as a demonstration site or as templates people can use at their own homes.
To register for the workshop please call 739-4254.

Even\Odd Lawn Watering Restrictions

The City of Barrie has had lawn-watering restrictions in place since 1994. Lawn watering is restricted by municipal address, even municipal addresses can water on even calendar days and odd municipal addresses can water on odd calendar days. Additionally the City has recently changed the by-law to restrict water use by time of day as well. Lawn watering may only occur between the hours of 12:00 midnite and 8:00 A.M. and between the hours of 6:00 P.M. and 12:00 midnite.

These restrictions are essential to control summer peak demand. In Barrie summer water use among residential dwellings can increase by 40% with the vast majority of this water being used on lawns. This demand dictates the capacity the City of Barrie water system must be capable of providing. By reducing the number of homeowners who can water their lawns at any one time we can limit the summer demand and keep our capacity demands at a minimum.

Although these restrictions are essential there must be a balance kept with the realities of a growing city. Many new homes and parks are constructed each year which require new sod and new sod has certain requirements in order to become established. New sod is therefore exempt from both the even/odd and time of day restrictions for a period of fourteen days from when it is first laid. Watering from rain barrells,  or private wells is allowed at any time. Using a hand held hose or a watering can is also allowed at any time.

Increasing Water Rate Block Structure:

As another means of controlling summer demand the City of Barrie on January first 2002 implemented a new water rate structure. This rate structure increases the cost of water as water consumption increases. This gives everyone a financial incentive to reduce water consumption.
To view the actual rates go to the section on water rates.

 Water Efficiency Handbook:

The City of Barrie has a water efficiency handbook that is being made available for free. This is an excellent resource book that will help everyone save money and water.
The book can be obtained at City Hall; the Operations Centre the Pollution Control Centre and Home Depot.

OUTDOOR WATER EFFICIENCY

In the summertime, water use in Barrie increases by as much as 40%. Most of this increased use is for outdoor water uses especially lawn watering and much of this is wasted. Water supply infrastructure is built with enough capacity to meet the highest demand day plus a safety factor for fire fighting.  This summertime demand causes excessive funds to be expended on supply and storage facilities and excessive stresses are placed on the water supply aquifers.

The water supply aquifers are limited. If we continue to let our summertime peak use grow with our burgeoning population we may soon have to augment our aquifers with a surface water supply plant. This plant will be very expensive to build, maintain and operate. If the citizens of the City of Barrie wish to continue to enjoy affordable high quality water, they will have to endorse conservation measures to protect this most precious resource. You can help maintain our aquifer supply by adopting the practices detailed in this section.

Wise Water Practices For Your Lawn

Many people take great pride in maintaining thick, green lawns. You can have a green lawn with relatively low effort and only moderate watering. A healthy lawn requires only about 2.5 cm (1 inch) of water per week including rainfall to remain healthy. Too much watering or fertilizer can lead to shallow roots and a lawn unable to cope with droughts.

Lawn watering must follow the City of Barrie even\odd lawn watering  by-law. In order to keep the peak summer day as low as possible the City limits lawn watering to one half of the City based on municipal address, even addresses one day and odd addresses the next day. Additionally lawn watering must only occur between the hours of 6:00 P.M. and 8:00 A.M.. The best time to water your lawn is in the early morning before the temperature gets too high.  Remember to only water when your lawn needs it and to water on the appropriate day and time.

Rain barrels are a great outdoor water saving device. Rain barrels can save you money by collecting the free rainwater that falls from the sky. The collected water is useful for watering flowerbeds and vegetable gardens.

Lawn Care and Maintenance

Keeping a lawn healthy is a key component to allowing it to withstand hot dry spells in the summer. A few common sense practices will go a long way to helping you keep your lawn looking green and healthy while not using a lot of water.

Too much fertilizer can cause your lawn to grow too fast and require more water and maintenance. Natural fertilizers contain insoluble nitrogen which is not effected by rainfall are safer to use and not as likely to burn your lawn. Your lawn should be fertilized twice a year, in fall and spring.  Fertilizing in fall keeps your lawn healthy through its dormant winter period by building up its root system. The second application in spring is to stimulate blade growth.

When you cut your grass try and ensure the grass is dry and leave it at least 6 (cm) (2 inches) long. The longer grass will protect the roots from the sun and will reduce moisture evaporation from the soil. The grass that you have cut should be left on the lawn. Grass clippings are an easy way to feed your lawn. The clippings provide valuable nutrients to the lawn and aid in moisture retention, thus reducing the need for watering.

Aerating your lawn is another way to help maintain a healthy lawn. Aerating cuts small holes in the ground to allow air, water and fertilizer to reach the roots. The small cores that are left over after aerating should be left on the lawn. The microorganisms in the cores will help decay dead grass and allow your lawn to absorb more moisture.

Muskoka Gardens

Muskoka Gardens is simply the term the City of Barrie is using to promote the use of native and low water use plants that thrive in our climate. There are a great variety of plants that require only the water that Mother Nature provides, once they become established, in order to survive. The advantages of native plants are that they tolerate our weather better than none native plants are more resistant to disease and thus require less fertilizer and pesticides. Best of all they require much less work; you simply let Mother Nature take its course.

The City of Barrie has a reference book on water efficiency that includes information on planning and designing your low water use garden and types of plants that you can use in the garden. The book also has a large amount of information on water efficiency at your home and is available at City Hall, the Pollution Control Centre, and the City Operations Centre; as well the books can be obtained from Home Depot.

INDOOR WATER EFFICIENCY

Water is a precious resource it has been here for billions of years. There is a limited amount of water on the planet and it is reused continuously, it is not something we can make if we run out. Water is essential to our survival and it is very important that we use water wisely so there will be enough for future generations.

Depending on the age of your home and the fixtures installed most of your water use will take place in the bathroom. Toilets, showers and baths and washing machines typically are the biggest water users in your home. Simple water efficiency tips are provided below as well as easy to follow instructions on performing a water audit in your home to find out where you may be using water excessively.

Bathroom

Conservation of water is most important in the bathroom. Depending on the size of the toilet you have, up to 35% of the water used in the house could be through the toilet and another 25% by the shower. The City of Barrie is very well positioned in this regard because of previous conservation efforts and changes to the plumbing code. The City of Barrie offered residents incentives to change their toilets and showerheads over to low flow during the period 1995-1998. Approximately 11,500 households took advantage of this program and all homes built since 1996 have six-liter toilets and low flow showerheads installed.  The result of these factors is the City has a very high percentage of homes with six-liter toilets and low flow showerheads compared to most municipalities.

Any homes that have not participated in our programs or homes that are adding bathrooms should consider purchasing low flow toilets and showerheads. Once that is done, common sense practices should help you save more water.
· Try and take 5 minute showers, turn showers off when shampooing, many showerheads now have this feature so temperature controls don’t need to be touched.
· Check regularly for leaks, fix leaking taps right away. A leaking tap can waste up to 50 liters of water a day.
· Check toilets for leaking flappers. To check if your toilet is leaking, place a few drops of food colouring in your tank and if after 15-30 minutes any of the food colouring seeps into the bowl without flushing, you have a leak.
· If you do not wish to go to the expense of changing your toilets, there are various devices such as early closing flappers and fill valves that can reduce water use for only a small cost.

Kitchen

· Wait until you have a full load before you use your automatic dishwasher.
· Don’t wash dishes by hand with running water. Use one sink for washing and the other for rinsing. If you have only one sink, rinse the washed dishes with a sprayer or a pot of water.
· Keep a jug of drinking water in your refrigerator to avoid running water until it is cold enough to drink.

Laundry Room

· If you are considering purchasing a washing machine consider a front-loading model.  Washing machines can consume up to 20% of a typical homes water use.  Front loading machines use 40% less water than traditional top loading machines. Additionally they use less electricity; less soap can hold more clothes and clothes come out dryer reducing drying time.
· If you are not in need of a new washing machine remember to only wash with full loads. If you have the “suds saver” feature, on your washer remember to use it this feature reuses clean rinse water when you wash two or more loads.
· In Barrie, hard water is a fact of life. Water softeners operate by substituting sodium or potassium (salt) for calcium, magnesium or iron minerals that can cause hard water. Water softeners can waste large amounts of water and have other negative impacts. Water softeners can use large amounts of water when they regenerate. Consider purchasing a water softener with a hardness sensor control. By monitoring the hardness of the water leaving the softener, the sensor control activates the softening system only when it is needed. These units save money in the long run by reducing the amount of salt and water used by the system.
 

Conducting a Water Audit

How can you identify where and how water is used in your home? By conducting a water audit.

A water audit helps you track water usage by particular appliance and can also aid in identifying leaks. We have provided a simple worksheet you can use to keep track of your water consumption for at least a week under typical conditions (not with company, or people away). Every time you use water from a tap, or toilet, or put on the washing machine mark it on the worksheet. At the end of the week, add up the number of times each activity was done and multiply this by the amount of litres shown under the “Litres per time” column.
After completing your water audit, consider areas where you use the most water. Then check over the information we have provided on the areas where you are using the most water. By implementing some of the recommendations we have made you can save water and money and help out the local environment.Link to audit worksheet.