Lowering our Water Consumption

As we all know, California is going through a major drought. It is affecting our local communities significantly as shown in the before and after photos (Shown right). The Alameda County Water District declared a water shortage emergency in Fremont, Newark, and Union City and adopted a Water Shortage Emergency Ordinance that includes mandatory water use restrictions of reducing water usage by 25% through February 28, 2016.

At Magnussen Lexus of Fremont we are doing our part to reduce our water footprint. We use reclaimed water to wash and detail vehicles that come in for service. Recently, we’ve decided to take it a step further by washing vehicles upon request only. It’s a decision we feel strongly about in order to help our community and our world as a whole. We would like to encourage our guests to consider the positive impact they can make by minimizing the frequency of washing their vehicle.

If you’d like to further help conserve water in the community here are some tips, tricks and resources.

Photo Credit: Justin Sullivan / Staff / Getty Images, http://goo.gl/Xu9PKL

Indoor Water Conservation Tips

• Locate and fix leaks as soon as possible.
• Operate clothes washers and dishwashers with full loads only.

• Take shorter showers.
• Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth or shaving.
• Install high-efficiency clothes washers (rebates are available!).
• Replace older, high water-use fixtures and devices (toilets, showerheads, faucet aerators) with efficient models.

Outdoor Water Conservation Tips

• Stop watering your lawn, or water no more than one day per week, at most.

• Cover exposed soil around shrubs and garden plants with mulch to reduce evaporation from the soil surface.
• Use a broom instead of a hose to clean driveways and sidewalks.
• Get your car washed at a commercial car wash that recycles water.
• Reduce lawn areas and choose native and drought-tolerant plants for your landscapes (rebates are available!).

ACWD Water Conservation Rebate Programs 

• Rain Barrel Rebate: $50 Residential (for a limited time only!)
• High Efficiency Toilet Rebate: $75-125 Residential (for a limited time only!) | $150 Commercial (includes toilets & urinals)
• High Efficiency Clothes Washer Rebate: $150 Residential | $300 Commercial
• Water Efficient Landscape Rebate: Up to $1,500 Residential | Up to $20,000 Commercial / Multi-Family
• Weather-Based Irrigation “Smart” Controller Rebate: $30 per station Commercial

All resources, tips and tricks information credit goes to the ACWD and the City of Fremont websites.

Relevant articles and websites found below.

http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2015/08/20/drought-rules-what-you-can-water-and-when/

http://www.acwd.org/

https://www.fremont.gov/2070/Drought-Resources

http://www.buzzfeed.com/alexnaidus/california-drought-images#.lg0gjAm8V