Conserving water is becoming increasingly important, especially in desert areas like California.  The high demand for water means that aquifers are being depleted more quickly than they can be replenished, making water a limited resource.  Additionally, living beyond an ecosystem’s natural limits requires water to be imported from other states and countries, which is unsustainable, requires thousands of miles of construction, and creates a tenuous political situation.  There is a variety of ways for homeowners to cut down on water use, such as installing efficient fixtures, taking shorter showers, and simply being conscientious.  Possibly the most important area for homeowners to consider is landscaping, which accounts for more than half of residential water consumption.

Pacific Mist, a groundcover native to southern California

The first step toward reducing landscape water demands is to remove non-native plant species.  Online resources provide lists of hundreds of endemic plant species for all areas of the United States.  Because the plants evolved for a particular climate, they require little to no water beyond what the weather provides.  This usually means that grass lawns should be removed, as almost no climate has the consistent rain necessary to maintain a lawn.  Consider replacing grass with a native groundcover, or turning the area into a vegetable garden.  Another way to cut down water use is to update the irrigation system.  Traditional oscillating sprinkler heads waste most of their water through evaporation without ever reaching the ground.  A much more efficient method is drip irrigation, which slowly releases water directly into the soil and decreases water usage by 30-70%.  While installing a new irrigation system involves an upfront cost, the water bill savings more than compensate over time.