Just over a year ago the city of San Diego, facing a serious drought, agreed to reduce water deliveries by 8%. Restrictions on residential water use were strictly enforced, water supplies for agricultural irrigationwere cut, and water conservation tips were provided to city residents.

One year later, the amazing results on San Diego's water-saving efforts are in, and city officials found that water use had been reduced by a full 11%, surpassing their 8% reduction goal by an impressive amount.

The city of San Diego was wise to target the largest uses of public water—like crop irrigation and watering residential lawns—with the tightest restrictions. It was encouraging to see, however, that the city's conservation guidelines also focused attention on water waste inside the home, including water usage in the bathroom. Bathroom water use accounts for a significant percentage of overall home use, and previous case studies have shown that taking actions like switching to water-conserving faucets, toilets, and showerheads can translate to huge household water savings.