Time for full-on water conservation mode

Coming off a fairly dry winter, and now with June sliding by and the lack of rain this month, we are likely heading for a long, hot, dry summer. Be careful with your water use and if you are on rainwater collection, have your gutters clean, bypass/diverters closed and be ready to collect all you can!

Here are a few pointers . . .

• Do only full loads of laundry, and no multiple loads in one day.
• Get a water-saving shower head -- e.g. Water-Pik that allows you to shut-off flow at head for soaping up.
• Tell all your house guests the Gulf Islands toilet mantra: "if it's yellow, let it mellow . . ."
• Let your grass "go native" in our natural dry season; it bounces back in the fall.
• If you have a low-recovery well -- maybe this is the summer to finance and install a well-to-cistern-to-house system so you can slowly trickle fill a cistern to have a reservoir of water.
• Water the tender flowers and veggies in the early morning or late evening.
• Buy a well-watcher to monitor your well level if you've had a past history of it running dry.