Which action reduces water demands?

• A. Cut shower times
• B. Run the faucet while brushing teeth
• C. Water the lawn during the day
• D. Use longer cycles in the dishwasher

Answer: (A)

Shortening shower times directly lowers a high-volume indoor water use. Showers burn through a lot of water quickly, and trimming a few minutes reduces the total daily water drawn from the supply, plus it cuts energy use for heating the water.

Running the faucet while brushing teeth wastes water because you’re consuming water with no added benefit. Turning the faucet off during brushing saves water with little effort.

Watering the lawn during the day is inefficient because much of that water is lost to evaporation and wind; watering in cooler parts of the day (early morning or evening) makes it more likely the water actually benefits the roots.

Longer dishwasher cycles tend to use more water, and while modern machines can be efficient on appropriate cycles, extending cycles generally increases water use unless you’re optimizing for full loads and eco settings.