TLDR
- You do not need one dramatic change to save 20 gallons a day.
- Turning off the faucet while brushing can save several gallons by itself.
- Household leaks can waste far more than 20 gallons a day.
- Efficient showerheads and faucets reduce water use without requiring you to stop using them.
- Outdoor irrigation is one of the largest opportunities for water savings in dry climates.
- Measure your household’s actual water use instead of relying only on estimates.
The original 20-Gallon Challenge had a simple goal.
Save 20 gallons of water per person, per day.
The San Diego County Water Authority launched the campaign in 2007 as a voluntary conservation effort during a period of serious regional water-supply concern.
Twenty gallons sounds like a lot until you start looking at where water actually goes.
A running faucet.
A leaking toilet.
An irrigation head spraying the sidewalk.
A long shower.
One or two changes can make a surprisingly large difference.
Start With Leaks
Before taking shorter showers or changing your landscaping, check whether your home is using water when nobody intends it to.
EPA WaterSense estimates that leaks in an average household can waste around 180 gallons per week.
That is more than 25 gallons a day.
One leaking home can therefore lose more water than the entire original daily challenge target.
Common problems include:
- worn toilet flappers
- dripping faucets
- leaking valves
- irrigation leaks
- damaged outdoor connections
EPA recommends checking the water meter during a period when no water is being used. If the reading changes after a couple of hours, you may have a leak.
Fixing waste is the easiest conservation because nobody has to give anything up.
Turn Off the Faucet While Brushing
This is the classic water-saving tip because it works.
EPA estimates that turning off the faucet while brushing your teeth can save about 8 gallons per day.
That gets one person almost halfway to a 20-gallon target without changing how well they brush their teeth.
Water is simply not running down the drain during the part of the routine when it is doing nothing useful.
The same principle applies while shaving.
Turn water on when you need it.
Turn it off when you do not.
Look at the Shower
Showers are another large indoor use.
You do not necessarily have to turn showering into a speed competition.
Start with the hardware.
EPA says WaterSense-labeled showerheads can save the average family more than 2,700 gallons of water each year while meeting performance requirements.
That works out to thousands of gallons saved without requiring anyone to stop showering.
Then look at time.
If you routinely stand under running water for several minutes after you are finished washing, there is obvious room to cut water without making the shower unpleasant.
Efficiency works better when it removes waste rather than comfort.
Run Full Loads
Dishwashers and washing machines are built around loads.
Use the capacity you already paid for.
EPA estimates that running a dishwasher only when it is full can save the average household hundreds of gallons per year compared with running an additional partial load each week.
Laundry works the same way.
If the machine has adjustable water-level settings, match the setting to the load.
And when replacing old equipment, compare water efficiency rather than looking only at purchase price.
A machine may stay in your home for a decade or longer.
Small differences per cycle add up.
Pay Attention Outside
In dry parts of the western United States, outdoor water can dominate household use.
EPA says outdoor use averages more than 30% of total household water nationally and can reach around 60% in arid regions.
That means a conservation plan that ignores the yard may be missing the biggest opportunity.
Check irrigation while it is running.
Look for water hitting:
- sidewalks
- driveways
- fences
- streets
- areas with no plants
Fix broken or misaligned sprinkler heads.
Water at times when evaporation is lower and follow current local watering rules.
If you are replacing landscaping anyway, consider plants suited to the local climate rather than building a landscape that requires constant irrigation to survive.
Consider a Smarter Irrigation Controller
Traditional irrigation timers water because the clock tells them to.
The weather may have other ideas.
EPA WaterSense-labeled irrigation controllers can adjust watering based on weather or landscape conditions.
EPA estimates that replacing a conventional clock-based controller with a WaterSense-labeled model can reduce irrigation use substantially and save an average home thousands of gallons per year.
This is particularly useful in places where irrigation represents a large share of household consumption.
Of course, a smart controller connected to broken sprinklers will simply manage the waste more intelligently.
Fix the system first.
Check the Toilet
A toilet can leak without making a dramatic puddle on the floor.
Water may move continuously from the tank into the bowl.
EPA identifies worn flappers as one of the common causes.
Listen for a toilet that runs unexpectedly.
Check whether the tank refills when nobody used it.
A small inexpensive component can sometimes be responsible for a surprisingly large amount of water.
Again, conservation does not always require changing behavior.
Sometimes it requires a five-dollar repair.
Try a Practical 20-Gallon Plan
You do not need to measure every drop.
A simple household plan might include:
- Turn off water while brushing.
- Repair any active leaks.
- Run dishwashers and laundry in sensible loads.
- Eliminate irrigation overspray.
- Use efficient fixtures as older ones need replacement.
- Check water use from month to month.
The exact savings vary by household.
That is okay.
The original challenge was useful because it made a huge regional issue feel manageable at the level of one home.
Use Your Water Bill as Feedback
Do not guess forever.
Compare similar months from year to year.
A family with a large landscape may naturally use more in summer.
A home with no irrigation should show a different pattern.
Sudden unexplained increases deserve investigation.
Some utilities now provide digital usage information or leak alerts, which can make unusual water consumption easier to catch.
Conservation gets more useful when you know what your household actually uses.
Final Thoughts
Saving 20 gallons of water a day does not require carrying a bucket around the house and feeling guilty every time you wash your hands.
Start with waste.
Leaks.
Running faucets.
Bad irrigation.
Half-empty loads.
Inefficient equipment.
Then make the changes that fit your household.
The original 20-Gallon Challenge was built around a very simple idea: large regional water savings can start with ordinary decisions made one home at a time.
That idea still holds up.