Saving water for our future

We’ve come close to doing just that in the past. South Coast residents will recall that in the years-long drought of the late 1980s and early ‘90s, they were being warned that Lake Cachuma, the main water source for folks on the other side of the hill, was a few weeks away from being bone dry.

A series of late winter storms — now referred to as the “March miracle” — staved off what could have been a major disaster.

Experts reckoned the landscaping in Montecito alone represented a multi-billion-dollar investment, and at the height of the drought, one wealthy Montecitan asked county officials to allow him to truck vast quantities of water to his estate, to save the grass, shrubs and trees.

In the absence of such an immediate threat, most of us don’t give much thought to what happens when we flush a toilet, other than the obvious, or how much water can be lost through a leaky faucet.

Water officials are very much aware of what happens. That’s why they are promoting “Fix a Leak Week” locally. They want you to learn about the importance of conserving water.

Here are some facts to consider: The average American uses about 100 gallons of water a day.

About 10 percent of American homes have leaky faucets or other water wasters.

If just 5 percent of those homes’ owners fixed the leaks, the country’s water suppliers would save about 170 billion gallons of water a year.

The typical Central Coast homeowner could save 30 percent or more on his or her annual water bill by installing water-efficient fixtures and appliances.

If that’s not feasible in this rocky economy, simply stopping the leaks could have nearly the same effect.

The cool thing is, most area water providers will come to your home and do a leak check — for free. Just call your water provider to see what services they offer.

California is one of 36 states on drought alert, and for Central Coast residents, it’s pretty much a chronic condition. Fix those leaky faucets, Save water.

It’s almost a sure bet we’re going to need all we can get at some point in the future.