By michael - February, 10th 2014

Conserving water can also extend the life of your septic system by reducing soil saturation, and reducing any pollution due to leaks. Overloading municipal sewer systems can also cause untreated sewage to flow to lakes and rivers. The smaller the amount of water flowing through these systems, the lower the likelihood of pollution. In some communities, costly sewage system expansion has been avoided by community wide household water conservation.

Being mindful of your direct and indirect water consumption is beneficial to the planet, your health and your finances writes Ruth Barton….

Many of us think that our water footprint is limited to what we drink and use to wash, however this only makes up around 5% of our overall consumption.The rest of our water footprint is indirectly used on the crops that feed livestock, provide materials for our clothes and make our beer and bread.

Here are some shocking facts you may not know (to help put it into perspective remember two litres of water is a big bottle of pop):

• The number of litres of water required to produce a single egg is 200 litres.

• 2,500 litres is required to produce 500g of cheese.

• A single cotton t-shirt is created by using 2,700 litres of water.

• One steak (300g) requires 4,650 litres of water.

• A massive 16,600 litres of water is …

Saving water at home does not require any significant cost outlay. Although there are water-saving appliances and water conservation systems such as rain barrels, drip irrigation and on-demand water heaters which are more expensive, the bulk of water saving methods can be achieved at little cost.

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