Idaho Drought Survival Tips

Welcome to Summer in Idaho and the West, pardon the understatement, where it is sweltering. Multiple published reports say Idaho is in for a long dry Summer.  Channel 7 reports that Treasure Valley cities are doing their best to prepare for the Summer Heat Wave.

One has to wonder if the unregulated growth resulting in many more homes has negatively impacted our water supply? I doubt any news organization would have the courage to ask that question to developers and their political acolytes.  

As our cities send out news releases to conserve water during the drought, what can you do to protect yourself? We've put together a few drought protection resources to help you make it through the heatwave. Some of these tips are common sense, while others will hopefully help you save our water supply.  

From The Mercury News :

Quick and easy indoor tips

— Run full loads of laundry and dishes.

 — Turn on the tap only when you need to rinse — while brushing your teeth or shaving, or washing vegetables and dishes. Fill a sink or tub for quick rinsing instead of having a constant stream of flowing water. Scrape food off plates, instead of rinsing, before loading the dishwasher.

 — Take showers, instead of baths, and make them short, 5-minute showers. Showering uses almost a fifth of all water in the home, and each minute you cut saves 2.5 to 5 gallons.

 — Use buckets to capture water while your kitchen, shower or bath water is heating up. Use that water for washing up or watering plants.

 — Check and adjust sprinklers to make sure they're watering your plants, not your walls or sidewalk.

 — Add mulch to planting areas to reduce reduce water loss, as well as improve soil quality, and keep soil temperatures cooler.

 — Don't use your hose to wash your patio or driveway.

 — Take your car to a commercial car wash that recycles their wash water. If you must wash your car at home, use a bucket and sponge, not a hose.

 — If you have a pool, keep it covered and reduce the temperature in warmer months to prevent evaporation.

 — Only run garden fountains or waterfalls when entertaining.

If you're looking for more information on drought information across the Gem State, check out this link https://www.drought.gov/states/idaho.

According to that site, Idaho is 98.8% in an arid drought. At the same time, 78.9% of the Gem State is in a moderate drought. 34.4% is in the severe drought range. 3.6% is in the extreme drought where the number of fires could increase. 0.8% is in the exceptional drought range.