Canada has 7% of the world's renewable fresh water. Conserving water will help ensure it will be available for future generations.

At their June 18th meeting, Niagara Falls City Council decided to seek the community's tips, tricks and feedback on how they conserve water in their homes or businesses.

Let's share and gather ideas for conserving water. If you have a method that has worked well for you, we would love to hear about it! Together, we can decrease our water usage in Niagara Falls.

The following chart provides some initial ideas on how to conserve water:

• Fix leaky faucets or toilets.
  • Do you believe you have a leak? Request a data log from the City showing consumption intervals registered through your water meter. The data log will show the time of day when consumption peaks, and helps homeowners pinpoint what the issue may be. There is a fee for this, currently set at $30.00 per request, as per 2024 schedule of fees.
• Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth and shaving.
• Install water-saving shower heads.
• Run the dishwasher when it is full. Energy Star-certified dishwashers use less water than hand washing and will save approximately 5,800 gallons of water over their lifetime.
• When doing laundry, only run the washer when full and choose shorter water cycles. An Energy Star-certified washing machine uses 30% less water than regular washers.

• Consider planting native plants that are drought tolerant.
• Water your lawn and garden in the morning to decrease evaporation. Healthy lawns only need 2.5cm (1 inch) of water weekly. Overwatering can encourage disease and pests. Use timers for sprinklers so the water doesn’t run more than needed and spray low to the ground.
• Adding mulch to your garden conserves soil moisture. Soil containing mulch retains up to 70% more water and keeps the roots cool.
• Aerate your lawn to help rainwater reach the roots.
• Fix leaky garden hoses and connections.
• Place a rain barrel under the downspout and use the collected rainwater to water your garden.
• Use a pool cover to reduce water through evaporation.