38 replies to this topic

[camay2327]

I don't use much water in the shower. Guess I got to use to the old Navy showers aboard ship.

 

Wet down, soap yourself, rinse off.

 

I use more that than now but still don't go into the shower and waste a lot of water.

[caligirlz]

I have stopped cleaning the shower as much...

But the number of showers, no, not really. I go to the gym 4-5 days/week and & have to shower after that. I sometimes will skip a shower when I haven't done anything strenuous on the weekend.

 

Interestingly, I just came across a plea for help from my hometown FB group, "you know you're from Visalia when...." The water situation sounds very desperate down there, especially if one is on a well. There's 75+ replies...

 

I usually don't post very much, but I 'm getting desperate.This message is mostly to local people. My well went dry a little over a month ago and we've [my wife,2 daughters,dogs,cats and 2 horses] had to lease a 3000 gallon tank[300.00 a month] that needs to be filled every 2 weeks[250.00 every fill]. Now you may think that 3000 gallons is a lot of water, but believe me it isn't .We've regulated ourselves 2 quick showers, using the bathroom and doing the dishes. We also now use paper plates and going to the laundramat. I'm on 6 or 7 list" s to have a new well dug but the waiting list anywhere from 6 months to a year and 1/2. Some of the neighbors who's wells are out or are starting to go and I are having a meeting Monday with a representative from Ca water to see about having the rest of our street hooked up to the city water, So far there are 2 hold outs. What I'm asking for [not money] is help from anyone locally that can help me get a new well dug faster, or anyone that knows someone that can help get us[our street] hooked up to city water.

[4thgenFolsomite]

Good reminder of how dire it can be.. I have two friends on wells, both holding their breath!

[supermom]

A friend of mine in Oregon just posted- yay, half an inch of rain- the well is gonna be good till winter...

 

Amazing what that little bit--can make a big difference

[chris v]

How about trying what I had to do as a kid pretty much all year round. Water on, get wet. Turn water off. Soap up. Rinse. We were allowed 1 minute of water total. No waiting for it to warm up. Do that for awhile and then a 3 minute shower will seem like a treat.

[4thgenFolsomite]

How about trying what I had to do as a kid pretty much all year round. Water on, get wet. Turn water off. Soap up. Rinse. We were allowed 1 minute of water total. No waiting for it to warm up. Do that for awhile and then a 3 minute shower will seem like a treat.

How about NO! LOL! Did you grow up on a sail boat? Man, that was some tough camping, Chris! I'm sure it made you stronger, but I'm too "soft" for that kind of austerity! Maybe after another year of drought, but not yet!

[mac_convert]

I have stopped cleaning the shower as much...

But the number of showers, no, not really. I go to the gym 4-5 days/week and & have to shower after that. I sometimes will skip a shower when I haven't done anything strenuous on the weekend.

 

Interestingly, I just came across a plea for help from my hometown FB group, "you know you're from Visalia when...." The water situation sounds very desperate down there, especially if one is on a well. There's 75+ replies...

 

I have a friend who lives there and he posted last month they could water their lawns three days a week! Water must not be too scarce.

[nomad]

I shower outside only when my lawn sprinklers are running, it's very invigorating!

[WolfMom]

I use the sniff test and the "Is my hair greasy?" test. LOL. Seriously,  I will skip one or two days between showers. Something would have to have happened for me to shower two days in a row. I save money on shampoo and conditioner that way too. (Daily shower avoidance may also be due to the fact that I have long, thick hair so it takes hours and hours to dry.) I am also lucky that thanks to my Paiute heritage I don't have a lot of body hair to shave. It is made easier to skip showering daily by the fact that I seldom use products like hairspray, etc. that need to be washed off.

 

For leg shaving,  have a small bucket of water at hand and sit on the edge of the bathtub with your legs in the tub (you can just wear shorts). Get your hands wet and rub the water onto your legs, apply a very light coat of soap or hair conditioner to your legs and then dip the razor in the bucket to shave and rinse the blade as needed. Give your legs a quick rinse down when done. (You can use the "dirty water" from the bucket and then a second quick clean rinse to follow). Or if you plan on taking a shower anyway, shave your legs before the shower and use the shower to rinse off.

 

We humans have become mighty spoiled in this neck of the woods. How did we survive tens of thousands of years without our hot showers?

[caligirlz]

I have a friend who lives there and he posted last month they could water their lawns three days a week! Water must not be too scarce.

I thought my mom who lives in Visalia said she can only water twice a week, but it looks like your friend is correct.

http://www.ci.visali...ring_policy.asp

I do think it makes a difference as to the type of grass you have. My mom has burmuda which requires thatching & reseeding yearly. That is banned for now as it requires extra water.

 

I'm following the 2x/wk schedule, and my front yard looks great, but my back yard is yellow, brown & will small patches of green. I'm still thinking about what I'm going to do to make it more water wise friendly.

[mrdavex]

I thought my mom who lives in Visalia said she can only water twice a week, but it looks like your friend is correct.

http://www.ci.visali...ring_policy.asp

I do think it makes a difference as to the type of grass you have. My mom has burmuda which requires thatching & reseeding yearly. That is banned for now as it requires extra water.

 

I'm following the 2x/wk schedule, and my front yard looks great, but my back yard is yellow, brown & will small patches of green. I'm still thinking about what I'm going to do to make it more water wise friendly.

 

A lot of your grass's health has to do with the soil composition.  Our native soil is hard and compact with poor drainage.  Unfortunately, it seems like most home builders just roll sod over the hard soil without tilling and enriching it.  So the soil can't absorb much water. 

Try to minimize soil compaction by using a mulching mower, mowing your grass high, aerating it 2x a year, and feeding it compost. 

[caligirlz]

 

A lot of your grass's health has to do with the soil composition.  Our native soil is hard and compact with poor drainage.  Unfortunately, it seems like most home builders just roll sod over the hard soil without tilling and enriching it.  So the soil can't absorb much water. 

Try to minimize soil compaction by using a mulching mower, mowing your grass high, aerating it 2x a year, and feeding it compost. 

Yea, my backyard was poorly graded & flooded. I had to fix that when I moved in. I think I still have a lot of those Folsom potatoes.

It's funny, cause just a few weeks ago, the backyard looked better than the front, now that's changed.

I will forward that info to my gardener.

 

I just came across this article with lots of pictures of the central valley. There's even mention of the well situation in Tulare County (Farmersville).

http://www.dailymail...it-farming.html

[TruthSeeker]

Our lawn is dead. We water the plants only once a week. We wash dishes every other day and we take showers every other day or so. I think we've done enough for water conservation already. 

[camay2327]

I was watching the news yesterday and they showed a person out painting the dead grass.

 

If they can't make money cutting the grass, they can paint it.

 

They have shown this before but it really doesn't look that bad.

 

Let the grass die and paint it green.

 

Wonder if the city codes will allow this?

[TruthSeeker]

I was watching the news yesterday and they showed a person out painting the dead grass.

 

If they can't make money cutting the grass, they can paint it.

 

They have shown this before but it really doesn't look that bad.

 

Let the grass die and paint it green.

 

Wonder if the city codes will allow this?

 

Painting the lawn would be great! No water needed at all that way.