21
How to Save Water and Your Wallet
It's funny how, if you're a journalist and you call the Water Conservation Office at the Public Utilities Department, and ask if people ought, as a general practice, to conserve as much water as
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possible, they don't know what to say. "Are you going to quote me?" was the response we received. But despite the policy confusion that hovers like a fine mist over City employees charged with conserving our most precious resource, the office continues to offer rebates for residential customers willing to invest in water-saving devices. Buying a water-saving washing machine is good for a $100 rebate. Likewise a hot water recirculator to prevent all the loss that occurs while you wait for warm water to reach the tap. Water-catching rain barrels, able to capture and store roof water running through gutter drains and canales, will nab a $30 rebate. Unfortunately, while many houses have multiple canales, and barrels may be linked to maximize retention, only one rebate per household is allowed. But venerated plant guru Bob Pennington of Agua Fria Nursery (1409 Agua Fria St., 983-4831) says those in a pinch can pick up recycled 55-gallon drums for about $10 and drop in a mosquito toxin or some vegetable oil to keep bloodsucking pests from breeding. Barrels eligible for the City rebate need to have a top, a tap and a mosquito screen on them, however. In addition to rainwater, it's now legal to store up to 250 gallons of grey water per day (bath or washing machine water, provided environmentally friendly soaps are used) and a few quality barrels can facilitate such storage. There's an initial investment but soon your water bill will shrink, while both your wallet and your flowerbed blossom.
Do it yourself:
Details of the rebate program are available by calling the conservation office at 955-4225 or visiting
www.santafenm.gov/waterwise/index.asp
. While you're online, check out the handy calculator at
to determine the volume necessary to optimize storage based on annual rainfall. To browse 50- and 60-gallon rainbarrels with all the bells and whistles conceivable, stop by Payne's Nurseries (304 Camino Alire, 988-8011).
