That Precious Liquid

Thinking about the water crisis we are facing here in north Georgia has made me realize how very much water we could avoid using in the first place. Having an ample supply of running water is a convenience I do not want to give up. But I have to admit we have made it enormously convenient to waste it at an alarming rate.

Consider the question, "How much water would you use each day if you had to draw it up bucket by bucket from your hand cranked well?" I believe nearly every one of us would use less. Furthermore, the water we did use would be put through as many uses as possible before it was completely discarded. For example, we would catch the water from rinsing our dishes to use to flush our toilets. Water spent washing our fruits and vegetables would be captured to pour on our house plants.

Anyone who has ever been camping in the woods knows how possible it is to get by with using considerably less water. Since you normally have to carry with you the water you are going to drink and cook with, you guard that precious liquid with great care. You learn to brush your teeth using just a cup of water.

If we treated the water we conveniently access by simply turning on the faucet with the same care we would give it if we had to pull it up by bucket from a well, we would find we had plenty. That applies even during a drought.

Outdoor water use is already prohibited here. But, we need to start reducing our indoor water use as well. I have begun double checking to make sure I am not turning on the water flow at the faucet more than I need to. Some people have begun keeping a bucket in the shower to catch extra water to pour on their parched plants.

An additional step we can take is to avoid flushing our toilets as often. Unless there is solid waste present we can normally just put the lid down and go on our way. In some parts of the country, more familiar with water rationing, they use the limerick, "If it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, flush it down."

If our clothes are not visibly dirty, we might be able to get by with just airing them out a bit. Perhaps we could shorten our showers and do just a quick total rinse with special attention to a different section of the body each day.

Yes, there are measures we can take to conserve before the water stops flowing. The big question is, "Will we take them?" Some of us will. But lots of my fellow citizens seem to see conservation and sacrifice as something for the other guy.

That's Wade's two cents.

Wade Houston
October 20, 2007


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