We Want You to Know:
 

Malvern is fortunate to have  an abundant supply of surface  water from the Ouachita River. Communities across the country …..even in  the State of Arkansas, are suffering from inadequate supplies. Malvern Water Works is preparing to make improvements to the Malvern water system. Some of the improvements include water mains extensions to improve flow and fire protection, constructing a new elevated tank, relocating the raw water intake structure,  and building a new water treatment plant.

Realistically, this project comes with a price tag and Malvern must raise water rates in order to pay for the improvements. We want you to know what you can do to soften the impact of new water rates on your household.

There are a number of ways to save on your water bill.
The first step is to be aware of how you use water.
 

Research shows that a typical family of four uses about 40% of its water for flushing toilets. Another 32% are used for baths and showers. Laundry consumes about 14%. Dishwashing takes another 6%. Cooking and drinking only account for 5% of water use. The bathroom sink uses about 3%. Lawn watering can easily double, if not triple household water use. Here are some tips on how you can save money by conserving on your water usage.

·        A flushing toilet uses a lot of water. Older toilets use between 4 and 6 gallons of water per flush. Placing something in the toilet tank that  takes  up space  will mean that less  water is  used when the tank refills after flushing. We recommend that you fill a glass jar or a plastic bag or jug with water and place it in the tank in a way that does not interfere with the toilets flushing mechanism. Be sure to allow enough water in the tank to allow the toilet to flush well.

New toilets are required to be low-volume or Ultra-low-flow (ULF) and are designed to use only 1.5 to 1.6 gallons of water. If you have an older model,  you may save by replacing it with one of the newer ULF models. Here are some other things to be remember:

ü      Using the toilet to get rid on a tissue or a cigarette is wasteful.

ü      Toilet tanks can leak and cause your usage to increase dramatically. Sometimes a toilet tank leak will stop and start at irregular intervals. One way to check for a leak in a toilet tank is to put a few drops of food coloring in the tank. Wait about 15 minutes and look in the bowl (don’t flush). If the coloring shows up in the bowl, the tank is leaking and should be repaired. It is an inexpensive repair that can save you money on your water bill. It’s a good idea to check your tank at least once a year.

·        Just for fun, place a 1-gallon bucket under your showerhead in such a way to catch all the water and see how much water will flow in 24 seconds. If the water is near the 1-gallon mark, your showerhead is working well. If the bucket overflows quite a bit, we recommend  you look into new low-flow showerheads available at plumbing supply and hardware stores at low prices.

·        Whether showers or tub baths use more water depends on how you use them. Long showers obviously use a lot of water. Turning off the water while soaping will save water…but it may not be as enjoyable. Filling the tub as full as possible uses a lot of water too. If Malvern suffered from a water shortage we would recommend short showers and shallow tub baths.

·        Leaving the water running while you brush your teeth or shave uses about 4 to 6 gallons of water each time. Turning off the water until  you need it will save water and money. Using water saving aerators on the bathroom taps can reduce the water waste by up to 50%.

·        You can save water and money in the kitchen too. Dishwashers use about 50% less water (if the dishes are not pre-rinsed) than when you hand wash. Scraping the dishes instead of rinsing is a good idea. Wait till the dishwasher is full before running it. Instead of running the tap to  clean vegetables, rinse them in a pan of water. Use the garbage disposal as sparingly. Aerators on the faucets in the kitchen not only help stop the water from splashing, they reduce the flow of water (often as much as 50%) and that can save water and money.

Did You Know?