Wasted food is wasted water.
From birth to table, turkeys can use over 450 gallons of water a piece for their care, slaughter, and transportation. A holiday ham can use up to 550 gallons.
Respect the resources that make a meal possible by avoiding food waste. Prepare an appropriate amount of food – not an overabundance, take only what you’ll eat, and divvy up leftovers for sharing or freezing.
1. Thaw frozen food in the refrigerator or microwave. Plan on 24 hours for each 4 to 5 pounds to thaw turkey in the fridge.
2. Rinse vegetables in a sink or basin filled with water instead of under running a faucet.
3. Do not dump fats, oils or grease down the drain. Instead bag it in plastic after it cools, tie or seal the sack securely and place it in the trash.
4. Compost kitchen waste instead of using the garbage disposal.
5. Scrape dirty dishes well, then presoak in a basin filled with water.
6. Run only full loads in the dishwasher. Or, if hand-washing, fill one basin with hot soapy water and one with hot rinse water.
How much water could you save by switching to Water Sense labeled faucets, toilets, shower heads, sprinkler heads or irrigation controllers?
Water Sense labeled products and services are certified to use at least 20 percent less water, save energy, and perform as well as or better than regular models. Saving you water and money.
Use this week’s warmer weather for a Fall water check.
1. Find and fix leaks in sprinkler systems, broken heads and exterior walls (look for water damage to outer walls). Tiny openings may have allowed below freezing temperatures to freeze a pipe last week.
2. Insulate water pipes in unheated areas by wrapping with heat-tape and insulation tubes. This will allow hot water to reach your taps faster and save energy on water heating.
3. Locate your property shut-off valve. The faster you can turn off the water during a major leak, the less property damage and less water wasted.
Continued melting means flowing snow melt and runoff. Check street gutters and storm drains near your home to make sure they’re clear of debris and functioning properly.
Clogged storm drains can cause neighborhood flooding, icy back up and nutrient overload as debris decays in the drains.Removing leaves, one of the largest urban sources of phosphorus pollution, from street gutters and drains can reduce the amount of phosphorus in urban runoff by 80% (USGS 2016).
Annually, more than 50% of phosphorus in our surface waters comes from leaves in the street according to a 2016 study by the United States Geological Survey, making leaves one of the largest sources of urban phosphorus pollution.
As rain falls and flows through leaves, phosphorus leaches out much like a tea bag in water. This “leaf tea” flows through our storm sewer system to the North Platte River.
Too much phosphorus causes large and potentially dangerous algae blooms that can block sunlight for aquatic plants, clog the gills of fish, reduce levels of dissolved oxygen, and produce toxins that are harmful if ingested. It only takes one pound of phosphorus to produce 500 pounds of algae (Vallentyne 1974).
Removing leaves from the street before it rains can reduce the amount of phosphorus in urban stormwater by 80% compared to no leaf removal (USGS 2016).
Protect your waters, by sweeping leaves back onto the lawn or garden as mulch, composting them, or putting them into the City’s yardwaste container.
