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Water conservation

Rebecca Adkins, Administrative Asst.
badkins@co.volusia.fl.us

Volusia County Utilities strives to educate through a bi-monthly newsletter, giveaways and rebates the importance of water conservation.

Water restrictions/conservation tips

Raingarden brochure (pdf format)
Need the Acrobat Reader? Click here to download.

Low Flow Shower Head
Water use by showerheads is typically the third largest source of indoor residential water demand.  Low volume shower heads have a maximum of 2.5 gallons per minute where moderate-to-high volume heads can use up to 8.0 gallons per minute.  Last year, low flow showerheads were made available free to our customers if they turned in their old water guzzling ones and installed the low volume units in their place. 

Rain Barrels
Residential irrigation can account for 50% of residential water use. Rain barrels not only store water, they help decrease demand during the summer months. Only ¼ inch rainfall runoff from the average roof will completely fill a typical barrel. Collection of water from rooftop runoff can provide an ample supply of free “soft water” containing no chlorine, lime or calcium. Collecting this water will reduce your demand for treated tap water, and save money by lowering your monthly bill. Rainwater diversion will also help decrease the burden on water treatment facilities and municipal drainage systems during storms. The storage of rainwater is also recommended for general emergency preparedness, or for areas prone to drought. A good formula to remember: 1 inch of rain on a 1000 square foot roof yields 623 gallons of water. Calculate the yield of your roof by multiplying the square footage of your roof by 623 and divide by 1000. Rainwater harvesting is an old fashioned method of obtaining water but is making a comeback due to the need for water conservation. Many web sites have information available on rain barrels, even how to make your own.

Ultra Low Volume Toilets
Since the mid 1990's, all new toilets have been redesigned to conserve water, using 1.6 gallons of water per flush.  Older models use 3 gallons or more per flush.  Currently Volusia County Water Resources and Utilities is offering to their customers a $50.00 credit to their water bill, if they install a new ultra low flow toilet.

Rain Sensors
Rain sensor devices automatically shut off automatic sprinkler systems during and after rain showers and allow the systems to go back to normal cycle when the sensor dries out.  These devices save tremendous amount of otherwise wasted irrigation water. Volusia County Water Resources and Utilities has given away hundreds of these devices over a two year period.  Volusia County's amended its Water Conservation Ordinance 2000-34 requiring installation of rain sensor devices on all automatic sprinkler systems, old and new. All automatic sprinkler systems installed after May 1991 have been required by state law (Florida Statue 373.62) to have rain sensor devices.

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