Wise Water Use

The Macon Water Authority is a model, award-winning water utility in Middle Georgia, featuring a plentiful reservoir supply, water production and storage capacity, and a distribution network that currently serves more than 50,000 metered customer accounts.

To keep our water utility functioning at peak performance, customers should practice all areas of wise water use.

Wise water use includes the following topics:

Indoor Water Use Tips
Outdoor Watering Schedule
Consumer Water Use Guide
Landscape Tips

WaterSmart
Water Stars
Find & Fix Household Leaks
GA Water Stewardship Act

Indoor & Outdoor Wise Water Use Tips

First and foremost, MWA customers are encouraged to find and fix household leaks. Additionally, we encourage customers to employ the following habits:

In the Bathroom

In the Kitchen

Plug up the sinks for washing and rinsing dishes, rather than let the water run continuously.
Only use the dishwasher to wash a full load, and remember to scrape dishes clean before placing them in the dishwasher to prevent grease from entering your drain.
Keep a pitcher of drinking water cool in the refrigerator for refreshment. (After all, the MWA has the best tasting drinking water in North America, as judged in 2009 by the American Water Works Association.)

In the Laundry Room

Outdoors

Create a water-smart landscape (research “xeriscape” for more information) and know when to water and how much water that landscape needs.
Check your irrigation system to make sure it’s working properly and efficiently. Also, consider WaterSense labeled sprinkler controls and other fixtures for the outdoors.
Sweep or blow off driveways, sidewalks, and walkways, rather than using the hose to clean them off.
Wash the car with a bucket and an on-off nozzle on your hose, rather than letting the water run continuously.
If you have a pool, cover it when not in use to prevent extensive evaporation.

For more information on wise water use tips, check out the EPA’s WaterSense promotional program here.

Outdoor Watering Schedule

The current outdoor water use schedule, as designated by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) of the Department of Natural Resources, allows MWA customers to use water outdoors daily from 4:00 p.m. until 10:00 a.m.

There are certain types of water use that are allowed all the time:

Irrigation of personal food gardens
Irrigation of new and replanted plants, seeds, or turf in landscapes, golf courses, or sports turf fields, during installation and for 30 days immediately following the installation date.
Drip irrigation using soaker hoses
Hand watering with a hose, which has an automatic cutoff or hand-held container
Installation, maintenance, or calibration of irrigation systems

For more information, including an overview of drought declaration levels that may change the outdoor water use schedule, as well as a list of all available exemptions, please see EPD’s Outdoor Water Use Information.

We want you to use water wisely, and MWA has tips for customers on how to irrigate efficiently.

Consumer Water Use Guide

The MWA offers its customers outdoor watering and indoor water-saving tips to encourage wise water use. In doing so, you allow for better management of our natural resources and more savings on your MWA monthly water bills. Download the Authority’s Water Conservation Tips brochure for more information on wise water use and water-saving practices inside and outside your home.

MWA customers can also visit www.conservewatergeorgia.net for more information on wise water use.

Landscape Tips

Wise water use can be aided by proper landscaping. Xeriscaping is a term used to describe a particular landscaping method of design with water conservation in mind.

The Macon Water Authority encourages wise water use through xeriscaping and related landscaping practices. The following are some general landscaping guidelines and suggestions:

Consider water use before the design of your outdoor areas.
Enhance soil by creating a landscape that drains quickly and stores water.
Use native and drought-tolerant plants.
Minimize the use of grass and ground cover when possible.
Group plants according to watering needs, a practice referred to as hydro-zoning.
Use mulch in plant beds and concentrate it around plants to hold in moisture.
Consider alternative or supplemental sources of irrigation, such as rain barrels.
Avoid cutting grass too short and the overuse of fertilizers.

WaterSmart

WaterSmart is a statewide educational program that teaches Georgians how to conserve water both indoors and outdoors, especially during the hot summer months. Because the MWA continuously encourages customers to practice wise water use, we were one of six pilot communities to participate in the statewide WaterSmart campaign, beginning in the spring of 2007.

One of the important guidelines of WaterSmart is to water landscapes overnight or in the morning between the hours of 4:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. to garner the most effective results and reduce evaporation.

Find & Fix Household Leaks

Did you know your family can waste an average of 11,000 gallons of water every year due to sources you may not even notice, such as running toilets, dripping faucets, leaking sprinkler systems, or other sources of household leaks?

To save valuable drinking water and money on your monthly water bill, consider the following tips for finding and fixing leaks at your home or business.

Stainless kitchen sink with food waste disposal in modern home

Leaks throughout your property

Check your latest water bill to determine your water usage (volume). If a family of four uses more than 12,000 gallons, there may be significant leaks that need to be located. To diagnose potential leaks, check your water meter during a two-hour period when no water is being used in the house. You can also turn your water off at the main valve. Take a reading before and after that two-hour period of no use. If your meter has changed at all, you probably have a leak.

Leaks at the toilet

Identify toilet leaks by placing a drop of food coloring in the toilet tank. If any color shows up in the toilet bowl after about 15 minutes, you have a leak. Be sure to flush the tank afterward to prevent your toilet from being stained by the food coloring.

A common reason for toilet leaks is due to an old or worn-out toilet flapper, which can be replaced cheaply and easily. If that doesn’t do the trick, consult your local home improvement retailer for some free diagnostics. Also, remember that WaterSense or similar energy-smart fixtures and appliances can save water and more than pay for themselves in the long run.

Leaks at the faucet

Leaks at the showerhead

Leaks outdoors

Remember those MWA winterization tips that mentioned the need to drain your sprinkler systems and garden hoses prior to winter freezes? Well, the results of not doing so can show up in the spring when you want to put that sprinkler system and garden hose back into use.

Before using your sprinkler system for the first time during warmer weather, check to make sure nothing was damaged from a freeze during the winter. You should be able to see if sprinkler heads are operating properly. If they are not, seek repairs of damaged parts before continuing use. Also, check garden hoses for leaks at the connections to the spigot and use pipe tape if needed to solve the problem of a loose connection.

For more information on detecting a leak, check out the EPA WaterSense (Fix-a-Leak) information.

Water Efficiency and Possible Leak Checklist

Please note that this list does not include all possible locations for leaks and is provided as a guide to help customers quickly identify possible plumbing issues on their property.

Toilets

Running constantly or filling up unexpectedly

Shower Heads/Bathtub/Sink Fixtures

Drips or loose water seals

Faucets (Indoor & Outdoor)

Drips or loose water seals

Crawl Space/Damp Walls

Unexplained dampness or visible running water

Water Appliances

Refrigerator water line
Ice makers
Dishwasher
Washing machine
Hot water heater

Irrigation/Sprinkler system

Heads
Drip Hoses
Automatic/ manual
Noticeable breaks or wet ground

Other Structures

Pool/ pool house/ spa
Workshop
Mother-in-law Suite
Water fountain
Pond
Automatic watering bowl
Water filtration system

Georgia Water Stewardship Act

As a result of the Georgia Water Stewardship Act becoming effective on June 2, 2010, MWA customers have been able to enjoy daily watering of their landscapes. For customers of the Macon Water Authority, their outdoor water use also benefits from proper long-term planning by the MWA Board Members and Staff, who continue to work to make sure the Authority and its customers have a safe and plentiful drinking water supply.

The Macon Water Authority benefits from a 589-acre drinking water reservoir – Javors Lucas Lake – which has approximately 5.8 billion gallons of raw water storage for producing clean, safe drinking water in the Authority’s award-winning Frank C. Amerson, Jr. Water Treatment Facility.

When To Employ Outdoor Water Use

Under the current outdoor water use schedule that went into effect because of the state Water Stewardship Act, MWA customers may water daily for agricultural and landscaping purposes. However, customers may use water daily only until 10:00 a.m. and after 4:00 p.m. in these instances. (No outdoor water use of this kind is allowed between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.)

Agricultural and landscaping activities include the planting, growing, managing, or maintaining of ground cover, trees, shrubs, or other plants.

MWA customers should note that the time residents are allowed to water landscapes daily, according to the Water Stewardship Act, are the best times of the day for such outdoor water use anyway. Watering during the hotter, mid-day hours increases the chance for evaporation. If MWA customers want to use water outdoors for any purpose other than agricultural or landscaping, odd-numbered addresses may water on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, while even-numbered addresses may water on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, with no hourly limits. Note: the outdoor water use schedule is subject to change in the event of differing levels of drought declarations by the state. Please check our news and announcements in the event of drought for any changes to the outdoor water use schedule.

The State Water Stewardship Act also includes incentives for continual water conservation and better stewardship from Georgians in the future. The legislation requires that water-efficient fixtures must be installed in all new residential and commercial construction statewide. For all new residential and commercial multi-unit developments, the Act requires sub-metering, allowing each resident to receive consumption reports and practice conservation measures.

For indoor and outdoor wise water use tips, check out the MWA Water Conservation Brochure.

And for more details on the current outdoor water use schedule, including exemptions to outdoor water use restrictions, citizens can access Georgia EPD’s Outdoor Water Use Rules and other relevant information at www.georgiaepd.org.

General

Indoor & Outdoor Wise Water Use Tips

For more information on wise water use tips, check out the EPA’s WaterSense promotional program here.

Outdoor Watering Schedule

Consumer Water Use Guide

Landscape Tips

WaterSmart

Find & Fix Household Leaks

For more information on detecting a leak, check out the EPA WaterSense (Fix-a-Leak) information.

Water Efficiency and Possible Leak Checklist

Georgia Water Stewardship Act

When To Employ Outdoor Water Use