Climate Action Toolkit

Marin Water (Marin Municipal Water District - MMWD)
- Water Efficiency Conservation Assistance Program: ​​let Marin Water’s water conservation experts provide a free water use consultation for your home. Here is a link to the Customer Intake Form.

- Take a water tour on the Home Water Works website through their Water Calculator. You will be asked three basic questions, and then you can go on the tour through the water calculator. Or take Marin Water's Do-it-Yourself Water Survey.​​

-Video:  Learn to hand-wash dishes with minimal water (6:48)

- Here are some tips to increase dishwasher efficiency (including making sure to run full loads and using fewer dishes during the day). Be sure to skip the pre-rinse to save water!

- It's easy! Just put a bucket in your shower or sink and collect water to give your plants some recycled water love. You can use it for flush toilets, too!

- Marin Water video: Check for Leaks using your Meter (1:52)
- How To Read Your Meter - Tracking Your Water Use

- Get your Flume water meter from Marin Water! If you are a Marin Water customer, you can get Flume for just $69 (plus tax and shipping) after the rebate (Reg $249)! Track your water usage- real-time. Note: There is a summer sale for the Flume at just $49 through July 10, !

- Free low-flow showerheads. Marin Water and North Marin Water District (NMWD) provide free low-flow showerheads to their customers to help conserve water. Low-flow showerheads use 1.5 gpm or less, which can save you over 12 gallons of water per 5-minute shower. These showerheads typically operate at 1.5 gallons per minute (gpm) or less, helping to reduce water consumption significantly. Reducing water usage also helps lower your monthly water bill. 

By replacing old, inefficient toilets with WaterSense labeled models, the average family can reduce water used for toilets by 20 to 60 percent—that's nearly 13,000 gallons of water savings for your home every year! They could also save more than $170 per year in water costs and $3,400 over the lifetime of the toilets. High Efficiency Toilets are less than 1.25 gallons per flush (gpf), while Ultra High Efficiency Toilets are less than 1.1 gpf. That's why we recommend the Niagara Stealth toilets - only .08 gpf! And they are very strong. 

- This Old House video on hot water recirculation pumps here (7:11). And watch a review of current models here. ​

- Marin Water's Water Smart Plants

- In winter, plants need much less water. Established plants prefer to be watered deeply but infrequently.

Two types of irrigation controllers can help you make irrigation scheduling more water-efficient:
1) weather-based irrigation controllers use local weather and landscape conditions to tailor watering schedules, and
2) soil moisture-based irrigation controllers monitor moisture levels in the soil to prevent irrigation when water is not needed.

With proper installation, programming, and maintenance, these self-adjusting controllers can reduce overwatering. 

- Learn how to apply compost here. TIP: handle soil gently. Tilling the soil disturbs the microbial activity critical to healthy soil.

 - Learn about the different types of mulch here. Learn when and how to apply mulch here.  

- See Marin Water's Resources for Rainwater Harvesting. Click on this link and scroll to the bottom of the page. ​

- Calscape is a great resource for native plants. Use their Search Tool to find native plants and trees. 

- Pesticides are poisons, and there are better ways to manage pests. Visit YardSmartMarin for science-based, safe, and effective ways to manage rodent, weed, insect, and plant disease problems. A list of products compatible with organic gardening is available here. When facing a pest problem: stop before you act; think about the options; and choose to protect your family’s health, wildlife, and the environment.

- Rainwater harvesting is the practice of collecting rainwater from rooftops and storing it for later use. This practice can reduce potable water use while also helping to limit erosion and polluted runoff that harm our creeks. Just one inch of rain on a 1,000-square-foot roof produces 600 gallons of runoff. Rain barrels are a popular way to begin rainwater harvesting, especially in urban areas; they are low-cost and can be installed along houses, under decks, or in other unused spaces. There is a huge range of options for rainwater storage tanks. They can be made from plastic, ferrocement, metal, or fiberglass, ranging in size from 50 gallons to tens of thousands of gallons. 

- Plant your own tree, or give a donation to a tree-planting charity. You can earn 86 pounds for each tree you purchase through One Tree Planted- only $1 per tree! You can check out the info for other charities here. If you are planting your own, be sure to review the list of invasive trees, which should be removed rather than planted! And here is a great tool to select trees for your landscape.

Greywater systems are governed by the California Plumbing Code as well as Marin County and local jurisdictional codes. (Under state code, gray water does not include wastewater from kitchen sinks or dishwashers, or water from toilets.​) 

- Review this EPA WaterSense Guide on Outdoor Pool Water Efficiency