SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Californians have been bombarded with pleas to save water during the drought.
Requests have popped up on freeway signs, restaurant tables and elsewhere, but it's still easy to lose track of how simple tasks such as washing fruit and shaving can guzzle gallons of water each day.
It's true that agriculture uses nearly 80 percent of the water humans take from reservoirs and groundwater basins. But farmers point out that Californians benefit from a bit of that water every time they eat an almond, apple or ice cream cone.
Here are some ways Californians can save water:
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RIP OUT YOUR LAWN
That pretty green grass in front of your house is probably guzzling more than half the water used by your household. You can let the lawn go brown this summer until it's revived by winter rains (which hopefully aren't going the way of unicorns).
You could also kill the lawn outright. Many homeowners are opting for fake grass and drought-tolerant landscaping heavy on rocks and cacti with a dash of color from plants such as lavender and blue sage. Each square foot of classic grass replaced can save as much as 70 gallons of water a year.
