Urban and Agriculture Water Conservation
Water Conservation at Home
Kern County residents can do much to conserve water in their homes. Here are some easy conservation tips:
Indoors
- Turn off water when brushing your teeth.
- Don’t use the toilet as a trash can.
- Install a low-flow showerhead, then take only 5-minute showers or 3-inch baths.
- Replace your toilet with a water saving ultra-low flush model. This can save up to 14,000 gallons of water per year!
- Fix all leaky toilets, faucets and pipes.
- Flush toilets and use garbage disposals only when necessary.
- Turn off the water when shaving and lathering in the shower.
- Run only full loads in dishwashers and washing machines.
- Keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator instead of running it at the tap until it cools.
- Use a brush and a bowl full of water, instead of running water over fruits and vegetables.
- If buying a new washing machine, buy a front loading washer; these use 1/3 less water than top loaders.
Irrigation
Kern County farmers, like others in California, use efficient and conservation-focused irrigation practices whenever possible. Because farm water is a high cost for farmers, they utilize every drop of water so that none is wasted.
Some of the ways farmers conserve water is to use drip and micro-sprinkler irrigation systems which concentrate water directly where it is needed for the crop. Crop land is also laser-leveled so that there are no low spots in the field where water can puddle. Many irrigation systems are also automated so that a precise amount of water is applied, and increasingly, farmers are installing solar equipment to power irrigation systems.
Watch a video on agricultural irrigation and how farmers use technology to more efficiently irrigate.
More information on Irrigated acreage by water source
