With drought emergencies and warnings in effect for our entire area, it's a good idea to seriously think about how you can conserve water at home.

Here's a look at an average household's indoor water usage. Added together, the washing machine, toilets, and showers eat up about 2/3 of the water in a typical home. Besides obvious conservation measures - such as taking shorter showers or doing only full loads of laundry - you should also make sure your home is leak-free. Check your water meter when you're certain that no water is being used, and if the meter changes, you have a leak. One drop per second from a leaking faucet wastes around 200 gallons of water a month.

Here are links to find other simple and inexpensive water-saving tips: (1), (2).