Why we need to love water more than ever

This is sponsored content for Hunter Water.

After months of experiencing severe drought conditions, it's welcome to see rain and cooler weather, which has helped transform our lawns and gardens, and improve our region's dam levels.

While the rain has provided some relief with water restrictions returning to Level 1, we aren't out of the woods yet. Our dam levels can fall fast during hot, dry periods because we have shallow storages and high evaporation rates.

Our water storages need to recover further before we are confident of being out of this drought, which is why it's more important than ever that we love water and use it wisely.

Hunter Water's Program Director for Water Resilience, Emma Berry, is encouraging the Lower Hunter community to continue its efforts to save water.

"Our community has been leading the charge with their water saving behaviours and has demonstrated how changing a little can save a lot.

"Since the start of water restrictions, consumption has reduced by 20 per cent compared with what we would typically use this time of year. These savings are equivalent to the average water use of 70,000 households, which is approximately the size of the Newcastle local government area!

"While it's welcome that weather conditions are more favourable than they have been, now's not the time to be complacent with our water use. It's really important we keep up the great work to ensure we preserve our precious resource," Ms Berry said.

Level 1 water restrictions mean outdoor watering is permitted with a trigger nozzle hose before 10 am and after 4 pm, and vehicles can be washed with a bucket, trigger nozzle hose or pressure cleaner. The use of sprinklers for watering of gardens or lawns and the hosing of hard surfaces is not permitted.

In addition to these actions, there are plenty of other simple and easy ways to keep saving bucket loads of water around your home.

In the shower:

Reducing your daily shower to four minutes is one of the most effective ways to save water. The shower is the largest water user in the home, but every minute reduced in the shower, is a bucket of water saved. A four minute shower uses less water than filling a bath.

An easy way to keep track of the time is by using a shower timer or showering for the length of your favourite song. Take a look at our Smart Shower Songs playlist to get you started.

In the kitchen and laundry:

Another simple way to save water is to wait until you have a full load of clothes before using the washing machine. If you don't have a full load to wash, try adjusting the water level to suit the size of your wash, or if you have several loads full, try using the sud-saver option to reduce the amount of detergent required.

While dishwashers are the highest consumers of water in the kitchen, they are generally more water efficient than hand washing dishes. It's recommended you wait until it's full before turning it on. Add to your water savings by scraping your dishes instead of rinsing them in the sink.

If you're looking to purchase a new dishwasher, check the water efficiency beforehand or look out for the WELS (Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards) label.

Finding and fixing leaks:

A few drips from a leaking tap may not seem like much, but when multiplied over the course of a few days, months or a year, it's easy to see how precious those few drops are.

It's estimated that leaking taps and running toilets in households across the region contributes to more than two million litres of water being lost each year. That's enough water to supply almost 12 households for an entire year!

Many household leaks can be fixed by simply changing the washers or tightening the fittings. If you're not confident to have a go yourself, it's recommended you call a plumber. In the long run, fixing leaks and dripping taps will not only save water, but will save money on your water bill as well.

For more information on water restrictions, or for useful tips on how to save buckets of water around your home, visit: www.hunterwater.com.au

This is sponsored content for Hunter Water.