What does water have to do with the holidays? Water impacts everything from food preparation to the clean-up process. For example, a typical holiday turkey dinner for eight needs more than 42,000 gallons of water in food growth and preparation, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. That’s enough water to fill a 30 foot-by-50 foot swimming pool.

Every day in South Florida, each person uses about 175 gallons of water. While over half of that amount is used for outdoor irrigation, indoor water use is also significant.

And, although the fall weather is ideal for vacationers and family visiting from “up north,” Florida is a state of weather extremes and this is our “dry” season, when water demands typically rise but replenishing rainfall decreases. By 2025, six million new residents are projected to make Florida their home, increasing the demand on the water supply. Conservation is the key to ensure South Florida has a future supply of water for both residents and the environment.

During the holiday season, the amount of water used indoors can escalate with the clean up process – before visitors arrive and after the holidays’ large meals – appliances and fixtures such as dishwashers, clothes washers, showers and toilets, are being used more often.  

However, there are ways to save water while celebrating the holidays this year.

According to the South Florida Water Management District, everyone can do their part in conserving water without having to compromise convenience and comfort during the holidays.  

Here are five easy ways to incorporate water conservation tips into your holiday preparations and celebrations:

n Defrost frozen foods in the refrigerator the night before they are needed instead of running hot water over them the same day.

n Rinse vegetables and fruits in a sink or pan filled with water instead of under running water. As a double bonus, use this water on houseplants.

n Select the proper size pans for cooking. Large pans require more cooking water than may be necessary.

n Scrape food scraps into the garbage can or a composting bin, rather than rinsing them into the sink’s garbage disposal.

n Run dishwasher only when you have a full load of dishes.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, by using any of these simple practices residents could save 10 gallons of water. If every American household reduced their water use by 10 gallons on just Thanksgiving Day, it would save more than 1 billion gallons of water, as well as save any energy or materials used to pump or treat tap water.

For more information on saving water year round, visit www.savewaterfl.com.

Linette Trabulsy is with the South Florida Water Management District, a regional, governmental agency that oversees the water resources in the southern half of the state – 16 counties from Orlando to the Keys. It is the oldest and largest of the state’s five water management districts. The agency mission is to manage and protect water resources of the region by balancing and improving water quality, flood control, natural systems and water supply. A key initiative is cleanup and restoration of the Everglades.