Take Action, Save Water!
Living in the desert requires an environmentally conscious approach to how we manage our water. Over the past 20 years, Arizona has been in an extensive drought that has caused severe depletion of our water resources. That's why there's no better time than now to learn how you can help save water for the future!
Arizona Project WET is offering a citizen science project that can lower the water usage in your home. This program can be done by any age group. It is a quick and easy project that can make a big difference in your water footprint. Follow the steps below to start saving water in your community today.
Let’s get started on your water savings experiment!
Project Description
There are many small actions you can take that can help save water, but this project focuses on the use of simple technology to save water. We are challenging your household to install water efficient aerators on their bathroom faucets. Aerators are little hunks of metal that mix air and water to reduce the amount of water coming out of the faucet while maintaining a good flow. Aerators should be replaced every couple of years and can be found at your local hardware store at a relatively low cost (less than $5 for most faucets). APW can mail you up to 4 free aerators if you are within the Tucson and Casa Grande areas (Request HERE), thanks to our sponsors in those regions. If you are not in those service areas, we still highly recommend purchasing the aerators and following the steps below.
Step 1: Get Water Efficient Aerators
Aerators should be replaced every couple of years and can be found at your local hardware store at a relatively low cost (less than $5 for most faucets). We recommend 1.0 Gallons Per Minute (GPM) for bathroom faucets. Make sure you have the correct aerator size for your faucet. We also recommend getting flow rate bags to easily measure current faucet flow in gallons per minute.
Link to purchase flow rate bags and Aerators.
Step 2: Install Aerator and Collect Data
Watch this video tutorial on how to install the aerator. The video includes step-by-step instructions on how to collect water usage data and record the data on the Putting It All Together data sheet (links below).
Note: This video uses a flow rate bag for measurement but you may also use a container or measuring cup to measure flow (see the Measure Flow Rate Without A Bag HERE).
Installation Video Putting It All Together Data Sheet Instructions BrochureStep 3: Report Water Savings and View Water Savings
Once you perform the experiment, let us know how much water you saved and see how much people are saving in your county!
In order to continue funding for our WSI programs we ask everyone that did the experiment to please report water savings. Total Water Saved information is reported to sponsors and the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center.
Enter Your Data & View Water Savings