Ed Washington: No, you don’t have to waste drinking water on plants

Re “Planting flowers draws anger” (Page B1, May 2): The business owner stated that residents don’t have the option of using non-drinkable water on their yards. Well, some residents do. I have been using non-drinkable water on my yard for the past two years.

I catch rainwater in barrels. I catch the water while waiting for the shower to warm up in buckets. I catch shower water. I catch water while waiting for the faucet to warm up to wash my hands. I catch the water used to wash fruits and vegetables at the kitchen sink. I catch all water that is not really dirty. I use a small submersible pump to pump it out of the storage trash cans and rain barrels for yard and landscape watering. If you take the time, you’d be surprised at the amount of water you can catch to use on your yard.

I won’t have to use drinkable water until August, and that will be to supplement my daily collection.

This story was originally published May 4, 2015 at 3:37 PM with the headline "Ed Washington: No, you don’t have to waste drinking water on plants."