Hidalgo County In-Home Water Conservation Participant Comments
(Continuation of Intervention Reduces Water Usage)
Household A: Education Only
One household has three young daughters (one in 8th grade and a set of twins in elementary school), and they are frustrated with how much they spend on water every month. The wife loves to garden. After the educational program provided by the agent, they told their daughters that the more money they save on water, the more money they could spend on them.
They have one low flush toilet already and one that is approximately 30 years old.
After two months on the program, the homeowners are thrilled with the savings. The wife asked the agent to give water conservation training to other family members.
Household B: Education plus water audit
The head of the household is very knowledgeable on water conservation and practices water conservation on a daily basis.
Some savings may be seen in the behavior of the daughters’ water use in the bathroom. The teenage girl loves to take long showers and then fill the tub with fresh water and take a bath. She literally spends an hour in the bathroom every day. She was shocked she had to take a four minute shower. We recommended her to use the shower water to bathe in.
The college aged daughter said she runs the water while she conditions her hair. She now turns off the water while she conditions her hair and shaves.
Previously the family used native plants exclusively. All plants are watered only twice in the summer, and only the hardy survive. A hose diverts the water from the washing machine to the yard, which causes the Bermuda to grow like crazy. The house was recently remodeled and the hot water tank was moved closer to the bathrooms, so hot water is almost instant.
Household C: Education, Water Audit, Retrofit Plumbing
The plumber installed the fixtures in mid-January. He also adjusted the cut-off valve under the sink to reduce the water volume coming out of the faucet.
The head of the household has been concerned about water conservation for a long time. Some of her water conservation practices that she has been using previously are: native plants in the yard, installed a hose in 2001 to catch condensation from her air conditioner to water an oak tree, washes cars in her front lawn, and she turns off the shower while she soaps up. She has had drip irrigation equipment for her vegetable garden and front yard stored away for three years. After she was educated on water conservation from the agent, she was motivated to install it. She also fixed a leak under her sink in anticipation of the water conservation study.
Homeowner planted a garden in early January 2005 and has accidentally left the drip hose running for two days on several occasions.
The homeowner said the water saving shower head does not feel any different.
